7:08pm: The trade is official, according to a Thunder press release. The Mavericks have also issued a press release confirmed the trade.
4:03pm: The Thunder and Mavericks have agreed to a trade that will send rookie forward Isaiah Roby to Oklahoma City in exchange for center Justin Patton and cash considerations, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Though the Mavericks could use some depth in the middle in the wake of Dwight Powell‘s season-ending Achilles injury, Patton will not stick around. The Mavs made the move to clear a roster spot and intend to waive him, The Athletic’s Tim Cato tweets.
It also creates some cap flexibility going forward, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News notes (Twitter link). Patton has a $1.62MM contract this season but the remaining two years on his deal are not guaranteed.
Roby, a second-round pick out of Nebraska, is making $1.5MM this season as well as next season and all that money is guaranteed. The last two seasons of his four-year contract — at $1.8MM and $1.9MM — are not guaranteed, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
With the deal, Oklahoma City’s projected tax bill drops from $2.3MM to $2MM and the Thunder are now just $801K over the threshold, according to Marks. The team is in position to potentially sneak under the tax line at the trade deadline by moving a minimum-salary player.
Patton has appeared in nine NBA games since being drafted in the first round in 2017, including five with OKC. He has spent most of his time this season in the G League. Roby, who was acquired in a draft-night trade, has yet to make his NBA debut.
Roster clearing move. FA signing or trade possibly in the works.
This is just to lessen their tax bill. Or eliminate it, maybe. I know they’re close, but don’t remember how close.
It’s also beneficial for Dallas as a possible big man replacement for Powell who can play 10-15 minutes some nights.
DAL has bigger plans than Patton.
OKC has to like Roby a little. They only saved 110K on their payroll – going from 900K over to 800K over. That entire thing is very easy to get rid of without taking on a guaranteed contract for next season.
Uh not the move I would have made but okay. Nerlens made more senese.
Nerlens’ first stint in Dallas didn’t work out so well
The mavs and Nerlens both don’t like each other. He turned down a major contract extension with the mavs and felt they stopped playing him to drive his price down. The mavs don’t like him because of a lack of effort, not working hard to improve his offensive game, and eating hotdogs in the locker room at halftime (happened once)
He looks to have turned it around in OkC. I have been in the “Nerlens is a lazy bum that didn’t put in the work” camp since year 2. He looks like a guy that accepted his role and realizes he bleeped up turning down 80M.
Nerlens did it to himself. The Mavs offered him $17.5M/year and he turned it down thinking it was too low. In the first 11 games of 2017-18, Nerlens +/- totaled -80. You’re pretty much not going to find any team willing to give you more playing time, much less not cut your minutes if the other team consistently outscores you by over 7 points every game. And 8 games later he hurts his thumb and is out for the next 3 months.
This trade has to be leading to something bigger. My guess is they’re moving Courtney Lees $12m + deal and taking multiple players back.
Willie Cauley-Stein just got dealt to Dallas
Shams Udaman!
Got him for a 2nd round pick, this deal was a no-brainer.