Getty Lakers guards Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook guard Kings star De'Aaron Fox on January 7, 2023
One of the guards on the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly wants to get traded back to his old team.
According to Jake Fischer on his “Please Don’t Aggregate This” podcast, Lakers veteran Patrick Beverley “definitely would like” to go back to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Chicago native appeared in 58 games for the Timberwolves last season. He averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 40.6% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc. Beverley helped the Timberwolves make the playoffs and was a fan and locker room favorite. Minnesota lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round in six games.
The Timberwolves traded Beverley to the Utah Jazz in the blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade. The Lakers then acquired the Arkansas product from the Jazz in August for forwards Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.
Beverley, 34, is in the final year of his contract. He will have made more than $78 million in his career once this season ends. Beverley has played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Timberwolves and Lakers. He has never missed the playoffs.
Patrick Beverley Has Struggled With the Lakers
Beverley has struggled offensively with the Lakers, who are only 19-21 on the season. The three-time All-Defensive guard is averaging just 6.0 points while shooting 39.3% from the floor and 33.6% on 3-pointers. Beverley has scored in double-figures only five times this season.
Beverley has a plus-minus of -86. Only Lonnie Walker IV (-117) has a worse plus-minus than him on the team. The Lakers’ offensive rating increases by 2.4 points when Beverley is off the court. Beverley has an offensive rating of 108.8. Only Russell Westbrook and Troy Brown Jr. have worse offensive ratings than him.
The NBA trade deadline is February 9. Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka has less than a month to decide if he wants to make a trade to improve his roster. Beverley, Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn are the three players the Lakers have discussed in trade talks with other teams, league sources told Heavy.com. All three guards are on expiring contracts.
The Lakers Could Trade Patrick Beverley & 3 Other Players to the Timberwolves for an All-Star & Sturdy Veteran
Under CBA rules, the Lakers can trade Beverley, Nunn, Walker IV and Damian Jones to the Timberwolves for All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell and veteran scorer Austin Rivers. Russell and Rivers can both create their own shot off the dribble and hit 3-pointers, making them good fits on the Lakers next to superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Russell, who was drafted by the Lakers in 2015 as the second overall pick out of Ohio State, is averaging 17.0 points and 6.4 assists this season while shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc. Rivers, meanwhile, is putting up 5.4 points per game while shooting 38.9% on 3-pointers. He’s familiar with LA after playing for the Clippers earlier in his career.
The Lakers could start Russell, Austin Reaves, James, Davis and Thomas Bryant, with Westbrook, Rivers and Dennis Schroder leading the second unit. Los Angeles needs more shooters around James and Davis and Russell and Rivers fit that bill.
The Lakers are in 12th place in the Western Conference standings. They have the same record as the Timberwolves.
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Lakers Guard Wants to Get Traded Back to His Old Team: Report