Getty Lakers guard Russell Westbrook
The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly made a final decision on Russell Westbrook’s future after acquiring Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on August 25th that Beverley’s arrival makes it more likely that Westbrook will be off the active roster by the start of training camp. Westbrook and Beverley have been fierce rivals ever since what happened in 2013 when Westbrook was on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Beverley was on the Houston Rockets.
“Beverley’s arrival makes it more likely that Westbrook will be off the active roster by the start of training camp, either through a trade or the team sending him home a la the Rockets with John Wall last season, according to a source close to the situation,” Buha reported.
During a Thunder-Rockets game in 2013, Westbrook was dribbling the ball toward his bench to call a timeout when Beverley went for a steal and took out the one-time MVP’s knee, which led to a meniscus tear and multiple knee surgeries. Since then, Westbrook and Beverley have gotten into several tussles and verbal back-and-forths. The most notable burn came from Westbrook on November 13, 2019, when he was on the Rockets and Beverley was on the Los Angeles Clippers.
After the Rockets defeated the Clippers, Westbrook was asked about Beverley’s defense and the UCLA product went off: “Pat Bev trick y’all, man, like he playing defense. He don’t guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing.”
Beverley Was Eager to Join Lakers
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on August 24th that Beverley, 34, was eager to join the Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season despite having LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook. Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said Los Angeles is “thrilled” to have Beverley.
“We are thrilled to add Patrick Beverley’s toughness and competitive spirit to our team,” Pelinka said on August 25th, via Lakers.com. “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.”
Over the past five seasons, Beverley has held opponents to 41.9% shooting as the closest defender, second best among players defending at least 2,000 shots, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
A Chicago native, Beverley appeared in 58 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season and averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 40.6% from the field, 34.3% from beyond the arc and 72.2% from the free-throw line.
Pacers, Spurs, Jazz Viewed as ‘Obvious’ Landing Spots for Westbrook
One NBA executive who spoke to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes the Lakers have three remaining “obvious” partners they should pursue to make a Westbrook trade. The exec listed the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Jazz.
“Per one NBA executive, the Lakers have three remaining ‘obvious’ partners they should pursue to make a Westbrook swap in the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs or Utah Jazz,” Pincus wrote on August 25th.
Westbrook started 78 games for the Lakers last season. The nine-time All-Star averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.8% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free-throw line. Westbrook was second in the NBA in turnovers and had the sixth-worst effective field goal percentage, making him a poor fit next to James and Davis.