Busan KCC Trades Deonte Burton to Anyang JKJ, Receives Cady Lalanne

Burton averaged 31.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 4 EASL games

The Busan KCC Egis have traded Deonte Burton to the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters in return for 6-foot-10 center Cady Lalanne. Burton will no longer compete in the East Asia Super League (EASL), while Lalanne is slated to make his EASL debut on Jan. 15, when his new team hosts the Macau Black Bears in a Group B game.

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Burton, who was brought in during the offseason as an import player, excelled for Busan KCC through four EASL games. He averaged 31.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and six assists, leading the team in nearly every major statistical category. However, despite his stellar play, the Egis struggled for most of the EASL season, starting 0-3 before securing their first win, which came thanks to late-game heroics from star shooting guard Heo Ung, who scored 14 points in the final three minutes of a key game.

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Similarly, in KBL play, Burton averaged 16.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists, but Busan KCC found themselves in a disappointing seventh place in the rankings, one spot away from the playoff picture, despite having won the league title the previous season.

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Deonte Burton (right) drives left against Ryukyu's Shota Onodera during their bout on Dec. 4, 2024. In four EASL games with Busan KCC, Burton averaged an impressive 31.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and six assists.

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By trading away Burton and acquiring Lalanne, KCC addresses a significant frontcourt depth issue that has plagued the team since the start of the 2024-25 season. Injuries to several key players led the Egis to sign 38-year-old journeyman Leon Williams in an emergency situation. Even now, aside from Williams, KCC has had few options to share the frontcourt responsibilities.

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Lalanne, who currently averages 13.3 points and 10.6 rebounds, should provide the much-needed depth. A former four-year player at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Lalanne was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2015 NBA Draft with the 55th overall pick but struggled to find his footing in the league. He spent one season with the Spurs’ D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, and has since played in various leagues in Puerto Rico, China, Saudi Arabia, and the KBL — including a stint with the Suwon KT Sonicboom (2021-22), another KBL team participating in this season's EASL alongside Busan KCC.

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Busan KCC’s next EASL game is on Jan. 15, at the Busan Sajik Gymnasium, with tipoff scheduled for 7:10 PM local time.