Author: Monojit Mandal
The Oklahoma-City-Thunder signed veteran point guard Patty Mills as part of a sign-and-trade deal with several teams, transferring Dillon Brooks to the Houston Rockets in a major offseason move. Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN’s famous NBA source, verified the story.
According to sources close to the matter, including Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The-Athletic, the Houston-Rockets were set to acquire Mills from the Brooklyn-Nets. Mills, on the other hand, was quickly transferred to a new team, finally signing with the Thunder.
Wojnarowski also said that the Thunder will receive compensation from the NBA draft lottery as part of the transfer, in addition to assuming the remaining US$6.8 million of Mills’ contract.
Best known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs, Mills will be looking to make an immediate impact with his new team in Oklahoma City. With developing players Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander preparing to take over the starting positions, the Thunder’s backcourt is already well positioned. The Thunder have agreed a three-year, US$23 million contract extension with Vasilije Mici, a point guard from Anadolu-Efes and former MVP of the European League, who is expected to get top minutes off the bench.
In addition, Victor Oladipo, who is supposedly on his way back to OKC, depending on his rehabilitation from a ruptured patellar tendon and the management’s intentions regarding him, could return to the Thunder. The Thunder seem to be focused on the long term, with rookie guards Jalen Williams and Tre Mann also in the running.
Due to his modest contract, the Thunder can buy out or release Mills before the start of the 2023-24 season. It remains to be seen whether the team will keep the experienced point guard, as they want to build on their excellent 40-win season.
According to Basketball Reference, he had a three-point shooting percentage of 36.6% and 4.8 assists per 100 possessions, demonstrating his value as a facilitator.
Mills could be an important addition for the Thunder, especially given his familiarity with Giddey as teammates in the Australian national team.