3. Patrick Beverley
The biggest move that the Los Angeles Lakers made in the offseason was trading Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson for Patrick Beverley. While it is still clear that the Lakers won the trade with how bad THT has been and his contract, Beverley has been extremely disappointing in Los Angeles.
Beverley absolutely does deserve more time to turn it around but it is safe to say that fans are growing impatient with his play. While he is still having a positive impact on defense, Beverley has been one of the most inefficient offensive players in the entire league this season.
With Westbrook continuing to play well off the bench and Dennis Schroder returning soon, it is hard to carve out as many minutes for Beverley. He should not be benched in favor of Westbrook (again, that defeats the purpose) but if Schroder returns and starts then Beverley will quickly see his minutes slashed.
Beverley is an expiring contract that has some weight to it, allowing the Lakers to package him and other assets in a deal. It could be something as simple as Beverley and Nunn for Doug McDermott in San Antonio. While the Spurs aren’t getting any youth in the deal, they would be turning McDermott’s two-year contract into expiring contracts.
The most impressive player on the Lakers roster hasn’t even been close
The Los Angeles Lakers have played seven games thus far and there is one impressive player that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
If Beverley was on the veteran minimum then he would not be a trade candidate at all. He would be tasked with figuring it out or simply not playing. But with his $13 million salary, Beverley is a prime candidate to be dealt.