The Oklahoma City Thunder gave up their pursuit of free-agent forward Rudy Gay and instead signed veteran forward Patrick Patterson to a three-year, $16.4 million deal. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Patterson’s deal includes a player option for the third year. The 6-foot-9 Patterson last played for the Toronto Raptors, averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds last season.
A 14th overall pick by Houston, Patterson averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game on top of a 36.8-percent clip from beyond the arc in his stints with the Rockets, Sacramento Kings, and Raptors.
Patterson was a permanent fixture in the Raptors’ rotation but he played poorly in the second half of the season. Before the All-Star break, he averaged 7.2 points and 5.4 boards but his numbers dropped to 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds the rest of the way.
Patterson also suffered a toe injury late in April but he played through it. However, coach Dwane Casey doubted if Patterson can return to 100 percent after the injury. Casey said Patterson was never the same after that and his rhythm was off a little bit, especially his three-point shooting and effectiveness on defense.
Thunder gave up on Gay
The 30-year-old Gay wanted to join the Thunder but they cannot give him a deal more than the $14.3 million he left on the table when he opted out of his deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Sources said Gay met with the Thunder over the weekend but left without a deal. The Thunder have a mid-level exception that they can offer Gay but it was way too small for a player of his caliber and years of experience.
Wolves, Kings also interested in Gay
In addition to the Thunder, the Minnesota Timberwolves are also interested in Gay and can give him a higher salary.
After missing out on Gordon Hayward, the Miami Heat and the Utah Jazz can also pursue Gay, who played 3 ½ years with the Kings. Last season, Gay averaged 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 30 games before he sustained a ruptured Achilles.
Gay underwent surgery and no timetable has been set for his return. The Kings may be interested in bringing Gay back to play him together with fellow veterans George Hill and Zach Randolph.
An 8th overall pick by the Houston Rockets, Gay played for six years with the Memphis Grizzlies before seeing action for one season with the Toronto Raptors and 3 ½ years with the Kings. In 753 career games, Gay averaged 18.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 35.6 minutes of action.
