2019-20 OKC Thunder

[Rover]

Thunder and Patterson have agreed to a buyout for $5.7 million of the final season of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent, according to Wojnarowski. The veteran stretch-four intends to sign with the LA Clippers upon clearing waivers.

Not sure I understand the wisdom of buying out a player for full contract amount. Doesn’t help the salary cap does it? It’s just paying a player to not have them. What am I missing?

[sooner88]

Not sure I understand the wisdom of buying out a player for full contract amount. Doesn’t help the salary cap does it? It’s just paying a player to not have them. What am I missing?

They'll only be ~$2mm over the cap now, so we'll make some moves over the season to get under. Think this was more a mutual agreement to part ways as Patterson has been far from productive for us.

[hfry]

Thunder and Patterson have agreed to a buyout for $5.7 million of the final season of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent, according to Wojnarowski. The veteran stretch-four intends to sign with the LA Clippers upon clearing waivers.

Woj tweet was "Oklahoma City and forward Patrick Patterson have agreed to a buyout on the final season of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent, league sources tell ESPN." his 5.7 salary has to clear waivers but it's a buyout. It will be for less than his 5.7, my guess is he signs a vet minimum st Clippers for like 2.1 and he took like 3.6 mil from us so he makes the same but gets to go to a winning team. We also can stretch the money up to 3 years I believe so this should get us below tax threshold before the season starts.

[sooner88]

Woj tweet was "Oklahoma City and forward Patrick Patterson have agreed to a buyout on the final season of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent, league sources tell ESPN." his 5.7 salary has to clear waivers but it's a buyout. It will be for less than his 5.7, my guess is he signs a vet minimum st Clippers for like 2.1 and he took like 3.6 mil from us so he makes the same but gets to go to a winning team. We also can stretch the money up to 3 years I believe so this should get us below tax threshold before the season starts.

Right, but there's no reason to stretch him now until we see how the rest of the season pans out. If we trade away any major contracts it's a moot point.

[hfry]

Right, but there's no reason to stretch him now until we see how the rest of the season pans out. If we trade away any major contracts it's a moot point.

Sure, but then there would have been zero reason to pay him the full amount to leave. I'm just guessing that it's reduced to get us under now or stretched to get us under.

[hfry]

Right, but there's no reason to stretch him now until we see how the rest of the season pans out. If we trade away any major contracts it's a moot point.

Sure, but then there would have been zero reason to pay him the full amount to leave. I'm just guessing that it's reduced to get us under now or stretched to get us under.

[king183]

1) I think people are getting the salary cap and the luxury tax confused. We aren't getting under the salary cap with this move--or likely any move we make this season. Waiving Patterson helps us get closer to getting under the luxury tax line, but nowhere near being under the cap.

2) A couple people have said it makes no sense to pay him the full amount to leave. We *aren't* paying him the full amount of his salary. At the very least, he's going to join the Clippers on a vet minimum, which will offset his salary with OKC. It's likely we paid him his salary minus the vet minimum. Maybe even a little less.

This move makes sense because he wasn't going to play for us and was taking a roster spot that could be used on one of our young players we want to develop, like Kevin Hervey. We could pay him $5.7m plus luxury tax to sit on the bench or we can pay him less than $5.7m and get very close to avoiding the luxury tax completely and use his spot for a younger asset. And, as Sooner88 said, we don't have to stretch his contract now; we can wait until the deadline to do so because if we trade away other contracts, it's irrelevant. This move is a no brainer.

[chuck5815]

1) I think people are getting the salary cap and the luxury tax confused. We aren't getting under the salary cap with this move--or likely any move we make this season. Waiving Patterson helps us get closer to getting under the luxury tax line, but nowhere near being under the cap.

2) A couple people have said it makes no sense to pay him the full amount to leave. We *aren't* paying him the full amount of his salary. At the very least, he's going to join the Clippers on a vet minimum, which will offset his salary with OKC. It's likely we paid him his salary minus the vet minimum. Maybe even a little less.

This move makes sense because he wasn't going to play for us and was taking a roster spot that could be used on one of our young players we want to develop, like Kevin Hervey. We could pay him $5.7m plus luxury tax to sit on the bench or we can pay him less than $5.7m and get very close to avoiding the luxury tax completely and use his spot for a younger asset. And, as Sooner88 said, we don't have to stretch his contract now; we can wait until the deadline to do so because if we trade away other contracts, it's irrelevant. This move is a no brainer.

Exactly, we're going to be above the Cap, but below the tax apron. And there's not necessarily anything wrong with that.

[Laramie]

Patterson was making $5.7 million, wow, an expensive bun warmer.

Last time the Thunder shelled out that kind of dough to warm some buns dates back to the days of those big ole nasty looking thighs belonging to Hasheem Thabeet.

[okatty]

From Bobby Marks: Here is the math in OKC after the Patrick Patterson buyout-waiver-stretch provision: The Thunder are now $698K below the luxury tax with 13 guaranteed contracts. Last year OKC spent a league high $61.6M tax bill and have been in the tax 4 out of the 5 previous seasons.

[hfry]

From Bobby Marks: Here is the math in OKC after the Patrick Patterson buyout-waiver-stretch provision: The Thunder are now $698K below the luxury tax with 13 guaranteed contracts. Last year OKC spent a league high $61.6M tax bill and have been in the tax 4 out of the 5 previous seasons.

Was just coming to share this. Exactly what I said.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Thunder 2019-20 Schedule

Selected nationally televised games and important seasonal dates:

Wed, Oct 23 @Utah 8:00 PM - FoxOklahoma - opener
Tue, Nov 19 @Los Angeles 9:30 PM - NBATV
Mon, Nov 25 Golden State 9:30 PM - NBATV
Fri, Nov 29 vs New Orleans 7:00 PM - NBATV
Sun, Dec 22 vs LA Clippers 6:00 PM - NBATV
Tue, Dec 31 vs Dallas 7:00 PM - FoxOklahoma
Thu, Jan 2 @San Antonio 7:30 PM - FoxOklahoma
Mon, Jan 6 @Philadelphia 6:00 PM - NBATV
Tue, Jan 7 @Brooklyn 6:30 PM - NBATV
Thu, Jan 9 vs Houston Houston - 8:30 PM TNT
Sun, Feb 9 vs Boston - 2:30 PM NBATV
Fri, Feb 21 vs Denver - 7:00 PM ESPN
Fri, Feb 28 @Milwaukee - 7:00 PM ESPN
Sun, Mar 8 @Boston - 5:00 PM NBATV
Sun, Apr 5 @Los Angeles Los Angeles - 8:30 PM NBATV
Mon, Apr 13 vs Utah Utah 7:00 PM - FoxOklahoma home closer
Wed, Apr 15 @Dallas 6:30 PM - FoxOklahoma closer
Game EST (Eastern Standard Time)

All regular season games will be on FoxOklahoma except a selected few.

Oklahoma City Thunder Full Schedule - 2019-20: https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedu...kc/season/2020

[Laramie]

[okatty]

Two games on ESPN and one on TNT (none ABC) Per Royce Young there were 27 last season. Not surprising, but tells the tale.

[Laramie]

Two games on ESPN and one on TNT (none ABC) Per Royce Young there were 27 last season. Not surprising, but tells the tale.

Sad, but true...

Royce Young
‏Verified account @royceyoung
22h22 hours ago

The Thunder will appear on national TV (ABC, ESPN, TNT) just three times this season, down from 27 last season. And for the first time since 2009, the Thunder don’t play on Christmas.

Source: https://twitter.com/royceyoung

The Thunder's performance will determine whether they pick up more games throughout the upcoming season; if they use the same format the NBA used last season.

[Laramie]

2019 -20 Thunder may be easily overlooked & underated.

[okatty]

I was looking at the breakdown of home games this season and was glad to see that we have 22 games on weekends (Fri - Sun), including a whopping 13 on Friday nights. So, not counting pre-season about 54% of are weekend games. And only 3 on Monday nights. Anyway, I'll take wins where I can get them!

[sgt. pepper]

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/artic...1_127_29960261

if this is true about OKC fans...then shame on us.

[dcsooner]

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/artic...1_127_29960261

if this is true about OKC fans...then shame on us.

This is noise. An attempt to justify the WAY in which he chose to leave the City/Team. Nothing to seriously discuss here.

[Dob Hooligan]

I will go so far as to suggest that, if the interview is less than 45 days old, KD has become upset that Russ was able to massage his way out of town and STILL be in line for the first statue. KD has to know full well that the love for Russ will rip the roof from Chesapeake Arena his first game back.

[Roger S]

This is noise. An attempt to justify the WAY in which he chose to leave the City/Team. Nothing to seriously discuss here.

Doesn't deflect the fact that a lot of the Thunder fan bases puerile reaction to his decision, regardless of how/why he left, was just as distasteful if not more..... I mean there was video of a man shooting a Durant jersey.... How is that justifiable?

[PhiAlpha]

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/artic...1_127_29960261

if this is true about OKC fans...then shame on us.

Lol, no. Shame on KD for acting like a little bitch. The lack of self/situational awareness on display in that article is comical. KD needs to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes. He just repeatedly makes himself look bad/worse.

[PhiAlpha]

Doesn't deflect the fact that a lot of the Thunder fan bases puerile reaction to his decision, regardless of how/why he left, was just as distasteful if not more..... I mean there was video of a man shooting a Durant jersey.... How is that justifiable?

A few outlier reactions were way over the top, but most of the fanbase’s reaction was completely justified and not in anyway over the top...unless you’re so soft that you can’t handle some Twitter comments, “mean” signs and people dressed up as cupcakes boing you. Unless you’ve actually been a fan of the team and watched/attended most of the games since the team got here...you don’t have room to say what is or isn’t an appropriate reaction to your best player promising to stay and then leaving the best lineup we’d probably ever assembled in that off season to join the best team in NBA history that said player just collapsed and blew a three game lead against. Not understanding the fanbases reaction to the situation shows an extreme lack of perspective.

[dcsooner]

Doesn't deflect the fact that a lot of the Thunder fan bases puerile reaction to his decision, regardless of how/why he left, was just as distasteful if not more..... I mean there was video of a man shooting a Durant jersey.... How is that justifiable?

Not justifying, but even as an older person, I can acknowledge that his method/process in leaving the team was dishonest to the organization and the fans and I dare say to a couple of his teammates .

[Roger S]

Not justifying, but even as an older person, I can acknowledge that his method/process in leaving the team was dishonest to the organization and the fans and I dare say to a couple of his teammates .

I won't disagree with that. Still doesn't justify the way too many fans reacted.