The Timberwolves have officially signed first-round pick Justin Patton to his rookie contract, the team announced in a press release. The move was made official earlier this week.
Patton, the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft, was part of a trade that sent Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and the No. 7 pick (Lauri Markkanen) to Chicago. Patton arrived in Minnesota along with Jimmy Butler as part of that blockbuster deal.
Unfortunately, Patton’s pro career didn’t get off to a great start. The former Creighton center won’t be participating in Summer League with the club, having suffered a foot fracture during a workout, the Wolves announced on Tuesday. Patton underwent surgery to repair a broken fifth metatarsal in his left foot and will be sidelined indefinitely, per the team.
As our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows, Patton’s four-year deal with Minnesota will be worth about $12.81MM, with a first-year salary just shy of $2.25MM.