The Los Angeles Lakers have emphasized adding youth around LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason, but that shouldn’t dissuade them from adding veteran role players as they put the finishing touches on the 2022-23 roster.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, most of the veterans who’d fit well alongside James and Davis have been signed, leaving the trade market as Rob Pelinka’s only outlet to add experience next to the team’s two superstars.
Players like Kyrie Irving, Buddy Hield, Myles Turner and Doug McDermott have been speculated as potential trade targets largely for what they’d bring on the offensive side of the ball. Sure, Turner is renowned for his rim protection, but his ability to space the floor as a shooter is an equally-sought-after trait.
But what about adding a perimeter specialist after the Lakers finished 20th in the points allowed per game and 21st in defensive rating last season?
Los Angeles reportedly expressed interest in former rival Patrick Beverley this offseason, who ironically fueled the speculation with a cryptic response to a tweet that revealed the first meeting between the Lakers and Clippers this season.
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) August 15, 2022
The Patrick Beverley-Lakers rumors are getting louder following the veteran guard’s cryptic tweet.
Not only have the Lakers shown interest in Beverley, per Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, but the 34-year-old is on the record saying LeBron is the one player he wants to share the court with before he retires.
When the Lakers-Beverley rumors first surfaced, LA reportedly wasn’t willing to offer Talen Horton-Tucker in a straight swap for Beverley. Perhaps their stance has changed, because Horton-Tucker’s trade value has plummeted and Beverley would seemingly contribute a lot more to this current Lakers team.
Despite being 34, Beverley would slot in as Los Angeles’ best perimeter defender. He’s notorious for playing mind games with opposing team’s best players and is exactly the kind of player every team with title aspirations needs. Beverley’s grit was instrumental in taking Minnesota from a perennial underachiever to its first playoff appearance since 2017-18 and just its second since 2003-04.
Even better? His 37.8% career three-point percentage would be the highest on the Lakers, so he’d help resolve the team’s shooting woes, too.
https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1559551926156595206
Beverley was jettisoned to Utah in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster. With Donovan Mitchell likely to get dealt before this season, Beverley likely has zero intention of playing for a rebuilding team so he’s an ideal trade target for the Lakers.
It’s unclear if LA is pursuing Beverley, but his cryptic tweet really makes you wonder if he’ll be repping the Purple and Gold come Oct. 20.
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