SALT LAKE CITY -- Deonte Burton suited up Monday for his first game on a fulltime NBA contract. He played in just the final minute of the Thunder’s 98-89 win over the Jazz, but it was still a notable occasion.
Burton spent the Thunder’s previous games this season on a two-way contract. Burton played 23 games with the Thunder as a two-way player was nearing his 45-day limit with the NBA squad.
“It’s hard when you have a two-way guy, especially when they’re up and down,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “I think for Deonte, he had some good experiences playing with us and then there were some times where he wasn’t playing and I think they wanted to get him some more playing time and opportunities to play and continually build out his development and his growth.