Veteran guard Patty Mills has one of the most favorable contracts in the league for trades, and he’s finding that out the hard way this offseason.
The Thunder, who just acquired Mills from Houston, will send Mills to Atlanta in exchange for veteran forward Rudy Gay, guard TyTy Washington, big man Usman Garuba and a second-round pick, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Per Wojnarowski, it’s no guarantee that Mills remains in Atlanta either. His $6.8 million expiring contract has had value in trades all offseason, and that is expected to continue. Mills has been moved three times in the last 10 days. First, he was traded from Brooklyn to Houston, then from Houston to Oklahoma City and now from Oklahoma City to Atlanta.
The Hawks save $4.5 million against the salary cap by offloading Washington, Gay and Garuba and taking on Mills’s expiring contract. Atlanta is one of several teams finding ways to trim salaries with the new CBA that includes more stringent measures for high-spending teams.
Mills, who turns 35 in August, averaged just 14.3 minutes per game in Brooklyn last season, averaging 6.2 points and 1.4 assists in his 40 appearances.
