With the first month of NBA free agency in the rearview, most of the high-impact players are already off of the market. However, the one market that is always developing is the buyout market, and on Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder and veteran forward Patrick Patterson agreed to a buyout, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Thunder have since made the release official.
Patterson picked up the final year of the three-year, $16.4 million deal he signed with the Thunder in 2017 in April, but in the aftermath of the Russell Westbrook and Paul George trades, it makes sense that a veteran like Patterson would want to move on. While Patterson won’t clear waivers for another few days, the 30-year-old has already committed to signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Wojnarowski, giving head coach Doc Rivers another versatile forward to go along with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and JaMychal Green.
Once his $5.7 million salary clears waivers, Patterson’s intention is to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell ESPN https://t.co/0uIDF7EYJx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 1, 2019
Patterson had his ups and downs in Oklahoma City, but there’s reason to believe he can still provide meaningful minutes on a team with champion aspirations. Patterson is only a year removed from shooting 38.6 percent from behind the arc on 2.1 attempts per game and posting a +0.2 VORP, which is above league average. If nothing else, he’ll be a serviceable stretch four in spot minutes. At his best, he’s a capable interior defender and a help on the boards, as evidenced by the 6.8 rebounds per game he’s averaged for his career.
With the Patterson signing, the Clippers’ roster stands at 14 guaranteed contracts. Teams are allowed to have a maximum of 20 players going into training camp, but rosters need to be trimmed to at least 13 by opening night, not including two-way players.
