Lakers potentially looking to trade THT for this All-Defensive guard
By Jason Reed
The big trade that the Los Angeles Lakers might make this offseason is a blockbuster one for Kyrie Irving. That trade is currently hanging in the balance as the Brooklyn Nets also try to work out a Kevin Durant deal. At the end of the day, though, it does seem like Kyrie will be a Laker.
That is not the only trade the Lakers could make this offseason. Los Angeles also has a trade asset in Talen Horton-Tucker, which they could look to flip for more established talent. There is a chance that THT is included in the Irving deal but that would only happen if Joe Harris and/or Seth Curry were coming back to LA.
Los Angeles has tried trading Talen Horton-Tucker before and it appears that the team might be hard at work looking to do so again this offseason. According to a report from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Lakers have shown interest in Patrick Beverley, who could be traded again after being traded to Utah in the Rudy Gobert trade.
What a Patrick Beverley trade would look like for the Los Angeles Lakers:
If the Lakers were to trade for Patrick Beverley it would certainly have to be centered around THT as that is the only contract that the Lakers have to make it work logistically. Outside of that, a potential package for the three-time All-Defensive guard really is not that complicated.
This might not seem like enough for Beverley if you are a Jazz fan but for one year of a 34-year-old point guard, the potential of THT and Jones (who is in the trade solely to make it work financially) is worth it. Add in the second-round pick and it is absolutely fair value for a player that is only in Utah because the Jazz needed to take back salary.
This would instantly make the Lakers better as Beverley is a better defensive presence than THT and is more dynamic offensively. Beverley is by no means a great offensive player, that is just how inefficient THT was for the team last season.
Sure, THT has potential, but there is a good chance that his potential does not even blossom until his contract is up with the Lakers and he signs with another team. It is better to capitalize on that now rather than see him diminish more as an asset.
Beverley himself certainly wants to be a Laker as well. The veteran point guard named LeBron James as his dream teammate and this would make that dream come true, even if it is only for one year.