Hours after news leaked of Houston’s plans to release Ben McLemore, it appears that fourth-year center Justin Patton will soon receive his release, as well, per Kelly Iko and Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic.
Patton had largely fallen out of Houston’s rotation following the acquisitions of D.J. Wilson and Kelly Olynyk at the trade deadline.
In 13 games with the Rockets, Patton averaged 5.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game. The 6-foot-11 center, who entered the NBA as a first-round pick in the 2017 draft, had been signed by Houston off the G League affiliate of the New York Knicks.
General manager Rafael Stone indicated recently that Houston plans to spend more of its 2020-21 mid-level exception (MLE) on a signing (or signings) later this season, and the additional roster spots from waiving both McLemore and Patton could signal that moves are coming.
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The Houston Rockets are planning to waive center Justin Patton, sources tell myself and @Rockets_Insider.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) April 3, 2021