Since PPat will be a restricted free agent this summer, would it be wise to go after him? I know he is semi soft in terms of rebounding but I think he would be perfect in this current team considering his weaknesses. the good thing about this is he could be had without giving up Asik. If the twin tower works, this would allow us to still have 48 mins of Awesome rebounding. I am sure we would have to make some moves to make sure we can clear him under the cap. But hypothetically, do you envision him as a cheap power forward with some range that already knows the system as a great fit? I think this would be a perfect alternative if an elite PF does not come loose at the trade dead line in a trade. A la Love or Aldridge. Thoughts anyone ?
Patterson is going to be fresh off his rookie contract and is going to be serviceable journeyman, so he probably won't come back to play with us for the minimum. And we can probably get a better player for our MLE.
Not really. The restricted FA means Kings will match all reasonable offers. And it's not worth it to make an unreasonable offer to get Patterson.
I am a proponent of trading for him for this year, but our books need to be clear for the summer of Love/Gasol/LMA
This. Any move the Rockets make, short of getting a star level player, should be done with this in mind. No way Morey fills the cap with players like Patterson until a 3rd major piece is found.
Simple answer is- No, the Rockets can do better in trade or free agency. They might be able to get Patterson at a bargain (if Sacramento decides not to match or trade beforehand), but there are likely to be other options coming available that make more sense moving forward for a traditional PF. One player I wouldn't mind the Rockets looking at as a potential buyout or bargain trade player on a tanking team is Spencer Hawes. He's going to be an unrestricted free agent this Summer, and could be at the point in his career where he is willing to sign with a contender at the mid-level exception. Patterson in free agency, could be a consideration, but only if other options have already been vetted, and D-Mo/Jones/Smith have shown no signs of growth(which would seem unlikely). The most likely option for finding a long term starting PF is going to be through trade. -Millsap -Jerebko -Ilyasova -T. Young -A. Johnson -R. Anderson Are all probably better options to trade for this year much less the potential to make a move for the likes of a LaMarcus Aldridge, Gallinari, or whomever else in a bigger trade as well. Of course some deals will have to include at the very least Asik going out, but some deals are worth it, while some aren't so much. Point being- Patterson is on the list, but pretty far down.
would the cap space to sign dwight howard have been available with patterson on the roster? thomas robinson was a more flippable asset because there would still be teams believing in his potential.
No. He traded him to have the capspace to sign Howard (T-Rob was the much easier trading piece). PPat would work really well next to Howard, so I could see going after him if he comes cheap. I´d say definetly go for it if he comes for 2-3 million per year - think about it if he comes for 4-5 million. Anything more than that would be a tough sell.
