Tag: Deonte Burton

Notable NBA veterans who are eligible for 2021 G League Draft

When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.

When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.

The NBA G League is hosting a bubble tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Florida. Once teams are assembled, they will arrive to the location by January 26 for physicals and onboarding. The first game is set for February 8 and teams are expected to play a “12-to-15 game schedule” before their single-elimination playoffs from March 5-March 9.

This offseason, per ESPN, the league also eliminated restrictions for signing players with at least five years of NBA experience. For example, as reported by Adam Johnson, this is how Jeremy Lin was able to sign outright with the Santa Cruz Warriors rather than enter the draft pool. This is reportedly a one-time exception for the G League.

Similarly, others with NBA experience signed outright as veteran mentors for the inaugural G League Ignite squad. Players like Amir Johnson and Bobby Brown will lend a hand for top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green as they transition to the pros.

Otherwise, however, players not already on a roster who are looking to get back on the court and play in the upcoming bubble season will have to hear their names called on Monday. Over the last few days, we have learned about several players (e.g. Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson) who recently signed NBA G League Standard Player Contracts.

Even those who have been around the league for years have no guarantee of being selected, though. There are only 17 teams playing in the bubble, as 12 have opted out.

While the draft will have a maximum of 26 players selected, teams are allowed to forfeit their picks, so that number could end up even smaller. But that has not swayed the nearly 200 players who are hopeful about suiting up in Florida.

The 2021 G League Draft is scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 1:15 PM EST. Below are some of the most notable candidates, listed in order of how many minutes they have played in the NBA:

Thunder reportedly decline Deonte Burton’s contract option

The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly turned down the team option for guard Deonte Burton.

The Oklahoma City Thunder turned down Deonte Burton’s team option, according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes.

Burton was set to be owed $1.66 million in the upcoming season. He played sparingly for Oklahoma City last year, appearing in just 39 games. Taking away his bubble time, which included two games of about 30 minutes, he averaged 8.3 minutes per game.

The Thunder signed Burton as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He was on a two-way deal the majority of the first season before signing a standard deal in March 2019.

Last season, Burton was stuck behind the three-guard rotation of Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

He had limited chances on a competitive team last year, but Paul and Schroder are now gone. The Thunder are considering re-signing him, according to Haynes. Declining it now gives the team more flexibility, and he could be brought back later without having to work around league cap rules.

Yet Burton would still have competition for a backup guard spot this year. Oklahoma City acquired second-year guard Ty Jerome from the Phoenix Suns as part of the Paul trade, and French guard Theo Maledon was drafted using the No. 34 pick. Those two can be expected to fight for roles backing up Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort at the guard positions, so Burton’s best chance may be another 12th-man-type spot.

If Oklahoma City does bring him back on a minimum, it would likely be around the same price tag that the organization declined.

Fully healthy roster creating rotation issues for Oklahoma City

Hamidou Diallo, Mike Muscala, and Deonte Burton have not played in the two games since Terrance Ferguson returned to practice on Feb. 3.

After a January in which multiple different players were sidelined with a variety of injuries, the Thunder started the month of February with a fully healthy roster (minus, of course, Andre Roberson). Which should be a good thing.

In theory.

The reality is a little bit more complicated because a fully healthy roster means a logjam for minutes.

Lu Dort made the most of his time playing in place of Terrance Ferguson. He played so well that he’s stayed in the starting lineup despite Ferguson returning to practice on Feb. 3 after missing eight straight games.

Ferguson has since been relegated to the bench. He played 14 minutes in Friday’s 108-101 win over the Pistons.

But those minutes have to come from someone else.

As noted by Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Hamidou Diallo, Mike Muscala, and Deonte Burton have not played in either game since Ferguson came back. Billy Donovan told Lee that 11 or 12 guys are just too many to rotate.

“In those situations,” Donovan said of the team’s January injuries, “we had a lot of different guys step up during those moments in time to really help us get through the month and have a pretty successful month. Now, as your team gets, you know, healthier, you’ve got to, you can’t play 11 or 12 people, just too many guys, but you also have to keep everybody engaged.”

It will be interesting to see how the rotation will play out as the second half of the season goes on.

Dort is on a two-way contract, meaning he can only spend 45 total days with the Thunder.

To help extend Dort’s stay in the NBA, Lee pointed out that Dort, while starting in games, is not practicing with the team.

Diallo has been dealing with injury issues of his own this season, having missed 17 games earlier in the year with a hyperextended right elbow.

OKC Blue makes G-League history with 32 made 3-pointers

The OKC Blue made history on Tuesday night, making 32 of their 65 3-point attempts in a 148-113 win over the South Bay Lakers.

It was raining three’s inside the Cox Convention Center on Tuesday night.

The OKC Blue set a new G-League record, making 32 3-pointers in their 148-113 win over the South Bay Lakers.

As a team, the Blue shot 49% from beyond the arc, hitting on 32 of their 65 attempts.

Abdul Gaddy and Two-Way player Devon Hall led the way for the Blue, knocking down six 3-pointers apiece. Vincent Edwards added five.

The Blue is second in the league in 3-pointers made this season with 451 and fifth in 3-point percentage at 36.8%.

After being assigned to the Blue on Tuesday morning, Deonte Burton was in the starting lineup. He finished the night with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and contributed one of the team’s 32 3-pointers in 30 minutes of play.

New OKC addition, Isaiah Roby was also on assignment from the Thunder. He logged 16 minutes, scoring nine points while hitting on 4-of-7 from the floor and going 1-of-2 from three.

The Blue is back in action on Thursday when they travel to take on the Memphis Hustle. Tip-off is at 10:30 a.m. CT inside the Landers Center and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Deonte Burton reacts to Kobe Bryant’s tragic death

Burton was one of many players to tweet his disbelief at the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, along with four others, in a helicopter crash.

The news of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Maria, devastated those in the NBA community and beyond on Sunday.

Bryant and his daughter, along with three others, were killed when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, Calif. around 10 a.m. local time on Sunday morning.

Bryant was a superstar during his 20-year career, and his influence was still felt throughout the league even after his retirement following the 2015-16 season.

Many of the younger players in the league grew up watching Kobe and the Lakers, attributing their dreams of playing in the NBA to Bryant.

Reaction from fans, friends, and players has been rampant on social media.

Second-year Oklahoma City guard, Deonte Burton took to Twitter to express his condolences and shock, tweeting “@kobebryant I love you forever! You will always be apart of me and the basketball culture #rip my idol 😢😢😢I’m in total disbelief.”

The Thunder are off on Sunday, they return to action on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.

OKC Thunder Wire will continue to update this story as it develops.

Deonte Burton, Justin Patton recalled to OKC ahead of game vs. Lakers

A day after being reassigned to the OKC Blue, both Deonte Burton and Justin Patton have been recalled to the Thunder.

Just a day after being reassigned to Oklahoma City’s NBA G-League affiliate, both Deonte Burton and Justin Patton have been recalled to the Thunder.

Burton and Patton were assigned to the OKC Blue on Friday afternoon and both were in the starting lineup for the Blue’s 120-97 win over the Raptors 905 on Friday night.

Patton played 29 minutes, scoring 15 points and 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists.

Burton saw 31 minutes of game time, scoring 8 points to go along with four boards and four assists.

Patton, Burton and the rest of the OKC Blue got some sideline support in the form of Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sat courtside to watch the game.

Both Burton and Patton saw action in Oklahoma City’s win over the Rockets on Thursday night.

The Thunder tip-off inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday against a Los Angeles Lakers squad that will be without LeBron James.

Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Nerlens Noel will miss fourth straight game due to ankle injury

Noel is still sidelined with the sprained left ankle that he suffered in the third quarter of OKC’s win over the Cavaliers on Jan. 4.

The good news is that Nerlens Noel is improving. The bad news – he’s still out and will not play against the Lakers on Saturday.

Per Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan gave the update on Noel’s status Friday afternoon.

There is still no timetable for OKC’s center to return, but Noel has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery.

Noel first suffered the ankle injury on January 4 in Oklahoma City’s win over the Cavaliers. He was chasing a loose ball during the third quarter when he appeared to step on the foot of Tristan Thompson, rolling his ankle at an awkward angle.

Noel left the game against the Cavs and did not return.

He missed the Thunder’s games against Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Houston following the injury.

Oklahoma City had recalled Justin Patton for those games to help give the Thunder some size and depth on the bench, but he, along with Deonte Burton were reassigned to the OKC Blue on Friday afternoon.

Noel is not known much for his scoring, however, he brings a solid defensive presence.

Per NBA.com, Noel is 13th in the league in blocks per game, averaging 1.5 per contest. He’s also fourth on the Thunder in rebounding, pulling down 5.1 boards per game.

Oklahoma City tips off against the Lakers inside Chesapeake Energy Arena at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday night.

Deonte Burton and Justin Patton assigned to OKC Blue

Both players are expected to be in uniform on Friday night when the Blue host the Raptors 905 inside the Cox Convention Center at 7 p.m. CT.

The Thunder assigned both Deonte Burton and Justin Patton to the OKC Blue.

The team announced the move on Friday morning.

Patton had been recalled to the Thunder on January 5 after it was announced that Nerlens Noel would miss Oklahoma City’s game against the 76ers with a sprained left ankle.

Patton did not play against Philadelphia or in OKC’s overtime win over the Nets. He did see three minutes of game time against the Rockets, pulling down three rebounds.

In 21 games with the Blue, Patton is averaging 10.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.71 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the field.

Burton has played sparing minutes for the Thunder in recent weeks.

His best outing was on Thursday against Houston, in which he scored four points in four minutes of play. He played 16 minutes against Brooklyn, scoring three points to go along with three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

With the Blue, Burton has started in seven games and is recording averages of 16.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.14 blocks in 35.5 minutes.

Per the team release, both players are expected to be in uniform tonight when the Blue host the Raptors 905. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Deonte Burton recalled to Thunder

Burton has been with the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, the OKC Blue, since Dec. 7 following a one-game suspension for ‘detrimental conduct’.

Deonte Burton has been recalled to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The team announced the move on Thursday afternoon.

Burton has been with the OKC Blue since December 7. He was assigned to the Thunder NBA G-League affiliate following a one-game suspension earlier this month for “conduct detrimental to the team”.

Burton was reportedly involved in a “locker room altercation” after Oklahoma City’s 107-100 loss to the Pacers on December 4.

He served his one-game suspension against the Timberwolves on the 6th ahead of assignment to the OKC Blue.

In seven games, all of which have been starts, for the Blue, Burton is averaging 16.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in just over 35 minutes a game.

Burton has seen action in 12 games for the Thunder this year. He’s averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.4 minutes a game.

His best outing for Oklahoma City was in a loss to the Lakers on November 19. Burton was matched up defensively against LeBron James in the fourth quarter, frustrating James and holding LeBron to just 1-of-5 shooting with a turnover while he was on the floor.

The Thunder are off Thursday, but return to action on Friday night when they host the Phoenix Suns.

Report: Deonte Burton assigned to G-League following suspension

According to ESPN’s Royce Young, Burton was assigned to the OKC Blue Saturday, one day after serving his one-game suspension.

Deonte Burton served his one-game suspension on Friday night but it appears his punishment is not complete.

A day after being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, Deonte Burton has been assigned to the G-League.

ESPN’s Royce Young broke the news of Burton’s assignment to the OKC Blue on Saturday afternoon.

Young cited league sources on Friday evening when tweeting about Burton’s one-game suspension, saying that it was for a ‘locker room altercation’.

Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman later confirmed that the suspension was for a locker room incident.

When asked about the situation prior to tip-off against the Timberwolves, Billy Donovan did not elaborate on the situation, instead telling ESPN that “I think it’s pretty clear, one-game suspension and we’ll all move on.”

Burton’s suspension left Oklahoma City shorthanded against the Timberwolves. Hamidou Diallo remains out with a right elbow sprain, Terrance Ferguson did not play due to hip soreness, and Andre Roberson is still returning from injury management.

Burton is averaging 8.4 points in 12 appearances for Oklahoma City this season.