NBA free agency news: Patrick Patterson signs 1-year deal with Clippers

E.Jay Zarett

NBA free agency news: Patrick Patterson signs 1-year deal with Clippers image

The Clippers have added another player this offseason.

Patrick Patterson will join the revamped Los Angeles roster featuring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

The 30-year-old forward agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Clippers, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources

The news comes a couple of weeks after Patterson and Oklahoma City agreed to a buyout.

The Thunder inked Patterson to a three-year, $16.4 million deal in July 2017. He appeared in 145 total games with the team, averaging 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 36.4% from 3-point range.

Los Angeles reloaded its roster this summer as it signed Leonard and acquired George in a trade with Oklahoma City.

"This (wasn’t something) that came out of the blue,” George told ESPN about the deal last month. “We were all on the same page. The initial plan was to give it another year, see what we could do, and I did that. We played another year and it felt like we were just stagnant.

"Next thing was, let's move forward with other plans."

Patterson, it seems, was the next step in the Clippers plans.

He was linked to the organization quickly after clearing waivers and will provide another veteran presence after spending almost a decade in the league.

Patterson, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2010, averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 36.7% from long distance over nine NBA seasons with the Rockets, Kings, Raptors and Thunder.

 

E.Jay Zarett