There’s beauty in the struggle.
As they continue to try to capitalize on Damian Lillard‘s championship window, the Portland Trail Blazers have been making noise in this year’s free agency by taking flyers on a number of players whose current reputations don’t match their upside.
After signing 23-year-old Dennis Smith Jr. to a non-guaranteed contract, the Blazers followed up that low-risk, high-reward move by agreeing to a training camp deal with 24-year-old Marquese Chriss; both of whom were top-10 NBA Draft selections.
This signing might be the best for the Blazers yet, as they look to add more offensive weapons to their already large arsenal.
An 11-year vet who played 38 games last season for the Los Angeles Clippers, Patterson shot 35.7 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21 while having a career 3-point percentage of 36.9. Having long-proven he can space the floor well and make smart plays when needed, Patterson’s offensive skillset meshes well with the Blazers crop of defensive-minded combo forwards.
The Blazers are also considering signing veteran forward Michael Beasley to a training camp deal after he played well for their Las Vegas Summer League team.
Beasley, 32-years-old, has a career scoring average of 12.4 points per game.
