In an offseason already riddled with impressive moves from Sam Presti, the Oklahoma City Thunder GM has impressed once again by signing former Toronto Raptor Patrick Patterson to a three-year, $16.4 million dollar contract with a player option on the third year. At 6-foot-9, Patterson will likely start at power forward for Oklahoma City in the upcoming season.
Free agent forward Patrick Patterson has agreed to a three-year, $16.4M deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017
Patrick Patterson is a 7-year NBA veteran, and over his last four seasons with the Raptors, he shot an impressive 37% from beyond the arc, where he takes the majority of his shots. On top of his sharpshooting from deep, Patterson is an established defender, which makes him an excellent replacement for Taj Gibson, who recently signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Signing Patterson ultimately takes away any chance of the Thunder signing Rudy Gay, but chances were slim anyways, as Gay wanted more money than Oklahoma City could even offer. While this is not nearly as big of a move as trading for Paul George, adding Patterson is a move that could pay dividends sooner than later.
While the impact of Patrick Patterson is yet to be seen, one thing is certain concerning Oklahoma City’s offseason thus far: Sam Presti has put in some serious work, and there is still plenty to be accomplished, including re-signing Andre Roberson, likely looking for a backup point guard, and most importantly, getting Russell Westbrook to agree to an extension beyond next season.
Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.