Chicago Bulls PF targets with Paul Millsap gone: Patrick Patterson
Depending on how the Bulls feel about someone like the former Nets and Indiana Pacers power forward Johnson, the best option remaining at the four in free agency could be the former Clippers veteran big man Patrick Patterson. But it is clear that with Aldridge and Millsap now off the board at this point of the offseason that Patterson is likely the most proven veteran option available at the four.
The 6-foot-8 and 235-pound 11-year NBA veteran has now played in more than 700 career regular season games and nearly 50 postseason games with five different teams. But the bulk of his career was spent with a trio of teams that includes the Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets.
Moreover, Patterson is coming off a serviceable and efficient two-season stint with the Clippers. In the last two seasons with the Clippers, Patterson averaged five points per game, three assists, and two rebounds. And he shot 42 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
It seems like a good move by now for Karnisovas and the Bulls to just take the best value veteran option at the four that is available in free agency. And it’s hard to find an argument for another player that fits that criteria better than Patterson. A younger frontcourt unit beyond the likes of star center Nikola Vucevic could benefit from the addition of a well-traveled veteran like Patterson, who also fits a clear positional need on the bench.