Jared Butler inked two-way deal with Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are loading up on former OKC Thunder personnel from top to bottom. The Wizards have entrusted their basketball operations to Mike Winger and Will Dawkins, who each worked under Sam Presti. That tandem hired former Thunder assistant coach Brian Keefe and currently roster Eugene Omoruyi, Danio Gallinari, and Mike Muscala. The Washington Wizards add another former Thunder player to that list as they ink Jared Butler to a two-way pact.

The OKC Thunder grabbed Jared Butler on a two-way contract midway through last season, and the organization really liked Butler, including Dawkins, who spent nearly 15 years in Bricktown. That led Will Dawkins to sign Jared Butler just days after his stellar NBA Summer League campaign wrapped up.

The OKC Thunder still have two open two-way slots as Jared Butler heads to Washington.

Jared Butler played in seven Summer League games, averaging 16 points, two rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 steals per tilt. Butler shot 47 percent from the floor while knocking down 44 percent of his three-point chances.

During the NBA regular season, Jared Butler saw minutes in 12 games, though the only significant game for Butler came in the final game of the regular season. With the NBA Play-In locked up, the OKC Thunder rested their regulars and put Butler in the starting five, where he broke out for 25 points, four assists, a steal, and went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. The 22-year-old shot nearly 50 percent from the floor in that contest.

The former highly thought-of prospect buttered his bread in the NBA G-League, where he helped the OKC Blue stay in a groove offensively, thriving in transition and navigating the pick-and-roll. Now, he will head over to a rebuilding Washington Wizards organization and split time between the NBA club and the Capitol City GoGo.

Washington is a better opportunity for the Baylor standout than the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Bricktown, the Thunder will not be as heavily reliant on NBA chances for their two-way players as in years past and especially will have fewer chances for them as a rebuilding Wizards squad down the stretch of the season.