For Patty Mills, the offseason has been rather eventful. Following another trade says reports, the NBA player is now on his fourth team in ten days. There is even talk that Patty Mills might even be dealt with once more. On August 10, 2021, Mills signed a contract with the Nets.
Over the course of two seasons (2021-23), he played in 121 games (50 starts) for the Brooklyn Nets. The only novelty in the formal releases is that the Nets would send draft compensation in exchange for Mills, a second-round draft pick in 2028 that they obtained from the Bucks as part of the mega deal for Kevin Durant.
Patty Mills lands on fourth team in 10 day trade spree
After entering this offseason as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, where he had played for the previous two seasons, the guard found a new home with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets finally moved him to the Oklahoma City Thunder even though they only had him for a brief period of time.
4 teams and 3 trades in 10 days for Patty Mills😬
… and yet his latest spot at Atlanta may not be his last, with his USD $6.8M expiring contract attractive in trade deals.#AussieHoops #NBA pic.twitter.com/urXe65wIUd— The Pick and Roll 🇦🇺🏀 (@PickandRollAU) July 9, 2023
Hopefully, Mills didn’t become too at ease though. He was sent to the Atlanta Hawks by OKC just six days later. ATL dispatched the Thunder. In addition to saving them $4.5 million, they sent Mills to Oklahoma City for TyTy Washington, Usman Garuba, Rudy Gay, and a second-round pick.
Mills is not the only participant in this most recent exchange to relocate rapidly. According to ESPN, Mills has an expiring contract for just around $7 million, thus his arrangement matches up salaries. Yet, there is talk that Mills might not even stay with Atlanta and might be traded once more.
Why Patty Mills being passed around NBA franchises?
This winter, Mills—a longtime 3-point shooting specialist—has been relegated to an accounting number. His $6.8 million contract that is about to expire has importance since it will free up cap space for when Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, and Kristaps Porzingis may enter the free agent market next summer.
Atlanta, a small market team that has trouble luring free players and likes to accumulate draft picks, is more likely to be in need of cash in 2024 than Oklahoma City. In each of the previous two seasons, Patty Mills averaged 9.7 points on 40.9 percent field goal shooting, 39.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.0 percent free throw shooting, along with 1.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.1 minutes per game.
Mills participated in 40 games (two starts) in 2022–23 and averaged 6.2 points on 41.1 percent field goal shooting, 36.6 percent 3-point shooting, and 83.3 percent free throw shooting in 14.2 minutes per game. He also averaged 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. The recent spate of transactions involving Patty Mills within a 10-day period shows the ephemeral nature of professional sports.
