Getty Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and De'Aaron Fox
Former Los Angeles Lakers guards Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley could be teammates again soon.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported on February 13 that the Chicago Bulls‘ interest in Russell Westbrook is “legitimate” and Beverley’s camp and the Bulls have had conversations. Westbrook is expected to reach a buyout agreement with the Utah Jazz, while the Orlando Magic waived Beverley.
“The Bulls’ interest in Russell Westbrook should the veteran point guard reach a buyout from the Utah Jazz is legitimate,” Johnson wrote. “In fact, after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski called them ‘a front-runner’ to land Westbrook last week, Chris Haynes from TNT and Bleacher Report said on his ‘#thisleague UNCUT’ podcast with Marc Stein that Donovan has reached out to Westbrook’s camp. Patrick Beverley’s camp and the Bulls also have had conversations, a source said, after the Marshall High product reached agreement on a buyout from the Orlando Magic.”
The Lakers traded Westbrook to the Jazz as part of a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles acquired Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt from Utah and D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the Lakers sent Beverley to the Magic for Mo Bamba.
Russell Westbrook & Patrick Beverley Struggled With the Lakers
Westbrook and Beverley struggled with the Lakers, which is why general manager Rob Pelinka traded both veterans. Los Angeles acquired more shooters and defenders at the trade deadline and the team is now primed to make a playoff push.
“I think we showed at the trade deadline a willingness to be very aggressive with our future assets to make the team better and to also plan for the future,” Pelinka said. “I’m glad we were able to put action to words. You could almost look at it as pre-agency. We very intentionally planned these moves to provide optionality in July, and some of these players have team options or team-controlled years on their contract. It gives us the ability to see how these last 26 regular-season games go and how potential postseason games go, and then we can go into this offseason with a higher collection of data points and a real-time analysis of how the pieces fit to make decisions for the future.”
Westbrook averaged 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 130 games with the Lakers. Los Angeles went 56-74 with the one-time MVP in the lineup. Meanwhile, Beverley put up 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game with the LakeShow.
Bulls Analyst Thinks Russell Westbrook Can Help Chicago
Bulls analyst and color commentator Stacey King believes Westbrook can help Chicago. Westbrook, 34, is averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists this season while shooting 41.7% from the field, 29.6% from beyond the arc and 65.5% from the free-throw line.
“He may not be the best shooter, but I would take him on my team any night because this is one guy you don’t ever have to worry about coming ready to play,” King said on his podcast. “You don’t have to. This guy loves to compete. He loves to play. He’s going to inspire other people to play hard.”
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan coached Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder.