Lamar Patterson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

International Notes: Thybulle, Liggins, Patterson, Smith

February 17th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Ben Simmons, who spoke in November about wanting to play for Australia in the 2020 Olympics under Sixers head coach Brett Brown, is looking to bring one of his NBA teammates with him. As Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia details, Simmons said over the weekend that he’s confident rookie swingman Matisse Thybulle will play for the Boomers this summer in Tokyo.

Thybulle, the Sixers’ first-round pick last June, is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. He has yet to make a decision regarding his international status, but playing for Australia would create a much clearer path to being a part of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

“I can’t say I’ve put too much thought into which one I’d like to go to, which (opportunity) I’d like to take,” the Sixers rookie said last week, per Uluc. “But I think this season is going to be a good opportunity to showcase myself and figure out what opportunities I have at the end of the season.”

Here are a few more notes from around the basketball world:

NBA journeyman DeAndre Liggins, who suited up for seven different teams over the course of five NBA seasons, is joining Panionios B.C. in Greece, according to an Instagram post from agent Vassilis Kouros (hat tip to Sportando). Liggins last appeared in the Association in 2017/18, when he appeared in 58 total games for Milwaukee and New Orleans.
Veteran swingman Lamar Patterson, who appeared in 40 NBA games for Atlanta between 2015-17, is continuing his professional career in Puerto Rico with Piratas de Quebradillas, the team announced on Sunday (hat tip to Sportando). This will be Patterson’s second stint with a Puerto Rican club.
Russ Smith, a second-round pick out of Louisville in 2014, will also play in Puerto Rico, having signed with Los Cariduros de Fajardo (hat tip to Sportando). The 28-year-old guard appeared in 27 NBA games from 2014-16 for New Orleans and Memphis.

International Notes: Webb, Wilson, Patterson, Austin

August 23rd, 2018 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Nets forward James Webb III has officially signed a one-year contract with Germany’s Telekom Baskets Bonn, according to a Sportando report. Webb reportedly had an agreement to play in Italy earlier in August but it fell through. Webb played 10 games with Brooklyn last season after signing a two-way deal in January. He also played 19 games for the Long Island Nets in the G League, averaging 14.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG, after starting his NBA career in 2016 with the Sixers’ G league affiliate.

We have more news from overseas:

Ex-Clippers forward Jamil Wilson has received interest from Italy’s Fiat Torino but the two parties are not close to an agreement, according to another Sportando post. Wilson appeared in 15 games on a two-way contract with the Clippers last season, including 10 starts, and averaged 7.0 PPG in 18.3 MPG. He was waived in January and eventually wound up with the Pacers’ G League team in Fort Wayne, Ind. before signing with Italy’s Serie A team, Virtus Bologna.
Center Isaiah Austin, who has been medically barred from playing in NBA, is posting big numbers in China, as Leo Sepkowitz of Bleacher Report details. The 7’1” Austin, who has Marfan syndrome, is averaging 35.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG for Guangxi in the Chinese National Basketball League. “I’m in really good shape, which is why it’s really hurtful that people won’t give me an opportunity,” he told Sefkowitz. However, it’s unlikely the NBA will ever give him the green light to play, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports notes.
Former Hawks guard Lamar Patterson is close to an agreement with Australia’s Melbourne United, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando tweets. Patterson, the 48th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, spent his first professional season in Turkey before joining Atlanta for the 2015/16 campaign. In parts of two NBA seasons, the former Pitt standout appeared in 40 games, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.4 RPG in limited minutes. He played in Italy and China last season.

Lamar Patterson To Play In China

May 24th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Former Hawks shooting guard Lamar Patterson has agreed to a deal to play in China with Lhasa Jingtu, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The club is part of China’s National Basketball League, the country’s second-tier league behind the Chinese Basketball Association.

Patterson, the 48th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, spent his first professional season in Turkey before returning stateside to join the Hawks for the 2015/16 campaign. In parts of two NBA seasons, the former Pitt standout appeared in 40 games for Atlanta, averaging 2.3 PPG and 1.4 RPG in limited minutes.

Patterson spent a portion of the 2017/18 season with Fiat Torino in Italy. However, he and the club reached an agreement to part ways in March, paving the way for his latest deal. Although he didn’t stick with Fiat Torino for the entire season, he was one of the team’s most effective players, averaging 16.3 PPG and 5.3 in EuroCup play, with 13.4 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 18 Italian League games.

And-Ones: T. Young, Cap Room, Two-Way Players

March 15th, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, ESPN.com examined how far 2018’s top draft prospects might advance in this year’s NCAA tournament. One potential top-10 pick, Oklahoma’s Trae Young, has already been eliminated from March Madness, as his squad fell in overtime to Rhode Island this afternoon. Young didn’t want to discuss his future today, but will likely declare for the NBA draft, as a source confirms to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

With the trade deadline behind us and the buyout period essentially over as well, Keith Smith of RealGM revisited his salary cap projections for 2018/19, estimating how much cap room each team might have available this summer.
The 2018 offseason will mark the first time that players on two-way contracts will reach free agency, as those two-players who signed one-year deals will become eligible to sign new deals. Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days recently previewed how free agency will work for those youngsters coming off two-way deals, suggesting that the rules aren’t exactly player-friendly. Teams will have to navigate with caution to ensure they don’t sour players on accepting two-way offers going forward, writes Johnson.
Former Hawks shooting guard Lamar Patterson and Italian team Fiat Torino reached an agreement this week to part ways, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Patterson appeared in 40 total games for Atlanta between 2015 and 2017.
In an entertaining piece for HoopsHype, Alex Kennedy spoke to several players who have played in international basketball leagues, relaying some of their funniest, most interesting, and most unbelievable stories about their time spent overseas.

Northwest Notes: Miller, Jokic, Jazz, Brooks

June 11th, 2017 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

After 17 years in the NBA, Nuggets forward Mike Miller isn’t ready to think about retirement, writes Mick Garry of the Argus [S.D.] Leader. Mitchell returned to his home state Saturday for an annual appearance at a basketball clinic and reflected on what it’s like to play professionally at age 37. “For me, it’s just a lot of fun – I enjoy playing,” Miller said. “I always will. My family still enjoys me playing, which is most important. So we’re going to keep going as long as we can. Every year is a new challenge and I enjoy those challenges. Until I quit, finding something to replace this will be hard.” Miller signed with Denver last summer, but appeared in just 20 games and averaged 7.6 minutes per night. His $3.5MM salary for next season won’t become guaranteed until July 12th.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Miller believes Nikola Jokic‘s breakout season will give free agents a reason to come to Denver. In an interview posted on the Nuggets‘ website, Miller talked about the bright future the 22-year-old has in the league. “I think the good thing that we have right now is Joker is one of those guys that everyone in the league is starting to take heed to and understand who he is,” Miller said. “He’s one of those superstars, I think he’s going to be a superstar. I think you’ll see even more growth at the beginning of this next year, that everyone just wants to play with. He plays that style of basketball. I’ve compared him a lot to Marc and Pau Gasol, I think he’s a lot like that.”
The Jazz have 11 players scheduled for workouts today, including UCLA big man T.J. Leaf, who is projected as a late first-rounder, relays Brandon Judd of The Deseret News. Joining Leaf at the second session will be Kentucky’s Dominique Hawkins, Central Michigan’s Marcus Keene, Louisiana Tech’s Erik McCree and Virginia Tech’s Zach LeDay. The first workout will feature Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe, Oregon’s Dylan Ennis, South Carolina’s P.J. Dozier, Kansas State’s Wesley Iwundu, Indiana’s Thomas Bryant and North Carolina’s Tony Bradley.
Several players with NBA ties were among the 25 participants in Utah’s free agent mini-camp Friday and Saturday. Tyler Hansbrough, Lamar Patterson, Cleanthony Early and R.J. Hunter are the most recognizable names, and the complete list can be found on the Jazz website.
Oregon’s Dillon Brooks, who worked out Saturday for the Trail Blazers, told Casey Holdahl of NBA.com that he can see a role for himself with the organization. “I got to watch Portland a lot, you get to see where you’d fit in,” Brooks said. “Especially with Portland, they’ve got two dominant guards and they need help with role players scoring. They get up and down, get into guys, it’s kind of like Oregon. The coach is kind of like [Oregon] Coach [Dana] Altman, they just let their guys play and go out there and try to compete and try to win games.”

Hawks Waive Lamar Patterson

February 26th, 2017 at 5:12pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hawks have waived Lamar Patterson, according to a team press release. Atlanta and Patterson agreed to the release in order to allow Patterson to tend to a personal matter.

The team recently signed Patterson to a two-year deal, though his contract only was partially guaranteed. The team also signed Ryan Kelly, a move which brought the team’s roster count to 15 players, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. After waiving, Patterson, the team’s roster is at 14 players, which means Atlanta has the ability to examine the buyout market in search of a possible contributor.

Patterson played 40 games for the Hawks over the last two seasons. He’s averaging 2.3 points in 10.9 minutes per game.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Porter, McClellan

February 25th, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Austin Kent

Some Hawks fans were underwhelmed with Atlanta’s decision to quickly fill their roster vacancies with players they had cut previously in the year but head coach Mike Budenholzer cites their familiarity with the team’s system as the motivating factor, says Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference, well within reach of home-court advantage in the first-round if things break right in the second half of the season.

The two wings, Ryan Kelly and Lamar Patterson, have had multiple stints with the franchise, Kelly spending time with the club in training camp prior to being waived, later signed again shortly after opening day and waived once more in January and then Patterson playing last season with the franchise, getting cut over the summer and then coming back on a pair of 10-day contracts last month.

“We’ve continued to follow them closely,” Budenholzer told Vivlamore. “We feel like adding them to the group this year, not just this year because there is potential and hope that these are guys who fit us and understand how we play. Lots of time we talk about fit. We feel like Ryan and Lamar have that potential.”

Though the pair have only played in a combined 87 minutes for Atlanta in 2016/17, they’ll round out a lineup in “win-now” mode. Previously it seemed likely that the franchise would trade pending free agent Paul Millsap and embrace a rebuild but they’ve publicly changed course.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The Wizards freed up cap space to make signing forward Otto Porter to an extension this summer possible. General manager Ernie Grunfeld recently spoke with J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic about just that. “We love the way that he’s developed and how he’s come along. I think Otto fits in very well with what we’re trying to do,” Grunfeld said. “I said he’s part of our core and we want to keep him here.”
Over the All-Star Break, Wizards rookie Sheldon McClellan announced that he has legally changed his name to Sheldon Mac, says Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The guard had thought about it for a while but held off for fear of complicating the scouting and drafting process he went through last year.
If the Heat want to free up a roster spot for the upcoming buyout market or even just for flexibility down the stretch, they’ll have to first deal with the Chris Bosh situation, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
Recently acquired forward Bojan Bogdanovic was looking forward to the trade that officially sent him to the Wizards. The veteran will come off the bench in Washington and tells J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic that he doesn’t think it will be that big of an adjustment.
After getting waived by the Hornets, big man Mike Tobey has returned to the Greensboro Swarm of the D-League writes Chris Reichert of The Step Back.

Hawks Sign Lamar Patterson, Ryan Kelly

February 24th, 2017 at 10:25am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 24, 10:25am: The Hawks have formally signed both Patterson and Kelly to multiyear contracts, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Consitution (via Twitter). Vivlamore notes that the deals have team options, so they’re likely only guaranteed for this season.

FEBRUARY 23, 7:15pm: The Hawks will fill their two open roster spots by signing Lamar Patterson and Ryan Kelly for the rest of the season, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Patterson played four games with the Hawks this year, but he recently returned to the D-League after his second 10-day contract expired. The 25-year-old shooting guard appeared in 35 games for Atlanta last season, but spent much of the year in the D-League. He was drafted by the Bucks in the second round in 2014 and traded to the Hawks the next day.

Kelly played nine games for Atlanta this season before being waived January 9th. He has been playing for the D-League’s Maine franchise. The 25-year-old power forward spent his first three NBA seasons with the Lakers.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Celtics, Hawks, Raptors

February 22nd, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Bulls‘ four primary decision-makers aren’t necessarily on the same page when it comes to how to approach the Jimmy Butler situation. Per O’Connor, GM Gar Forman is “comfortable with the status quo,” and owner Jerry Reinsdorf and president Michael Reinsdorf prefer to hang onto Butler. However, vice president of basketball operations John Paxson “sees the writing on the wall,” per one executive, and would be more open to a rebuild.

As we wait to see which direction the Bulls opt for on Thursday, let’s check out a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference…

As we’ve heard all season, the Celtics remain reluctant to cash in their assets for anything short of a star player. If Boston doesn’t get an offer it likes, the team may be satisfied to hang onto both Nets picks and embark on “a longer-term (but potentially more lasting) build,” writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.
After playing out two 10-day contracts with the Hawks, Lamar Patterson has returned to the D-League’s Reno Bighorns, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Patterson won’t return to Atlanta or another NBA club at some point this season, but many free agents are in a holding pattern until after the trade deadline passes.
Speaking of those Hawks, head coach and president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer says he wants to balance the club’s short- and long-term interests as Atlanta explores deadline deals, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Although Budenholzer says he’d be happy with his roster even if the team stands pat, Vivlamore hears that the Hawks have been “very active as buyers” as they explore possible moves.
Ryan Wolstat of the Postmedia Network poses – and attempts to answer – a handful of burning Raptors questions, including whether Masai Ujiri has another trade up his sleeve before Thursday’s deadline.

Hawks Re-Sign Lamar Patterson

February 8th, 2017 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

10:26am: The Hawks have re-signed Patterson, the team formally announced this morning in a press release.

8:16am: After his 10-day contract with the Hawks expired last night, veteran guard Lamar Patterson will sign a new deal with the team, keeping him under contract for at least another 10 days, reports Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. If Atlanta wants to hang onto Patterson once his second 10-day deal expires, the team would need to sign him to a rest-of-season contract.

Patterson, 25, appeared in 35 games for the Hawks last season before getting another shot with the team this year. The former Pittsburgh standout appeared in three games during his first 10-day contract, averaging just 2.0 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 6.7 minutes per contest. Patterson’s new contract with the team will expire during the All-Star break, but he’ll have a chance to be active for four more games before then.

With Patterson still under contract, the Hawks will continue to carry a full 15-man roster, with 14 players on guaranteed deals and Patterson on a 10-day contract. If Atlanta doesn’t re-sign Patterson when his new pact expires, it would create an opening on the roster, giving the club a little flexibility leading up to this month’s trade deadline.