Patterson chose the Thunder as an opportunity to stay with a contending franchise and play along All-Star players, which he did with Toronto the past four seasons. Patterson leaves Toronto for Oklahoma City, where general manager Sam Presti sees Patterson as a floor spacer alongside NBA MVP Russell Westbrook and the team’s new All-Star forward Paul George. Gay is searching for a larger deal than the Thunder were able to pay him, with Miami, Utah, San Antonio and Brooklyn among the teams still interested, league sources said.įor Oklahoma City, Patterson, 28, is the ideal replacement in the starting lineup for Taj Gibson who left for Minnesota in free agency. The commitment eliminates the Thunder from contention for free-agent forward Rudy Gay, who visited with the organization over the weekend. Oklahoma City used its full midlevel exception to sign Patterson, who shot 37% from three-point range last season. Days after shocking the NBA landscape by trading for Paul George, the Oklahoma City Thunder have added another piece in power forward Patrick Patterson.
