Report: LA Clippers Bring Back Patrick Patterson on One-Year Deal

Free agent forward Patrick Patterson will reportedly re-sign with the LA Clippers on a one-year deal.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Clippers have made their first move of free agency.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, free agent forward Patrick Patterson is returning to the Clippers on a one-year deal, per his agent. The LA Times' Andrew Greif and Dan Woike confirmed the report.

The terms of Patterson's contract have yet to be announced, though it seems likely that he'll be returning for the veteran minimum. 

Patterson had a solid first season in Los Angeles in 2019-2020, posting averages of 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He was especially efficient from three-point range, knocking down 39.0% of his attempts beyond the arc. Per Cleaning the Glass, Patterson ranked in the 71st percentile among bigs from range. 

He's best in a reserve role, though Patterson proved early last season that he's capable of playing more minutes as well. He started in 11 consecutive games from Oct. 22 to Nov. 13, logging 5.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per contest. 

Ultimately, this is a safe move by the Clippers that's hard to find an issue with. Patterson is a solid floor-spacer for the price, and he's not bad to have on the roster as insurance in case of injury or foul trouble. He doesn't move the needle much at all, but he also isn't a negative.

With Patterson's deal out of the way, the Clippers can focus on making decisions regarding the contracts of Montrezl Harrell, JaMychal Green and Marcus Morris, each of whom remains an unrestricted free agent.