The Los Angeles Lakers finally made a significant trade, but not the one everyone was expecting. The team announced on Thursday that they had acquired guard Patrick Beverley, who comes to LA from the Utah Jazz.
In order to get Beverley, the Lakers gave up guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson.
Announcing the trade, the Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said the team was excited to have Beverley on board due to his “toughness and competitive spirit.”
“We’re confident that Patrick’s ‘3-and-D’ style will fit in nicely with the other pieces of our roster, and align perfectly with Coach Ham’s philosophy of hard work and smart play,” Pelinka added.
Beverley spent the 2021-22 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, playing in 58 games and averaging 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. He landed with the Utah Jazz earlier in the offseason as part of the trade that sent All-Star center Rudy Gobert to Minnesota.
The Lakers are expected to benefit from Beverley’s defensive abilities, considering how poorly they performed on that side of the ball last season. The 34-year-old player is considered one of the best shot-stoppers in the league and has three NBA All-Defensive nods. The thing that was also probably attractive to the Lakers was the fact that Beverley is on an expiring contract.
The Jazz, on the other hand, had no use for Beverley as they are in rebuilding mode. Picking up Horton-Tucker is a bonus, as the former second-round selection showed flashes of potential in the past and could be useful for them in the future. Johnson, on the other hand, will probably be a trading chip to be used in other deals.
Beverley previously also played with the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers. In his 10 years in the NBA, he averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 37.8% from deep.
