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The Los Angeles Lakers are turning to a longtime nemesis to bolster their backcourt as controversial guard Patrick Beverley will be wearing purple and gold next season. The Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to the Jazz in exchange for Beverley. The newest Laker took to Twitter to express his excitement about playing in Los Angeles.
“Woke up a Laker!!! 💜💛🙏🏾 Its On!!!” Beverley noted in an August 25, 2022 tweet.
Just hours after posting, Beverley’s tweet received more than 10,000 retweets and 73,000 likes. The move marks the second time in nearly one month that Beverley has been traded. The veteran guard was also involved in the blockbuster Rudy Gobert trade where the Timberwolves sent Beverley to the Jazz as part of the deal to acquire the star center.
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The Lakers Are Unlikely to Trade for Kyrie
“We told you a month ago that Kyrie to the Lakers wasn’t gonna happen.. the Lakers are open to anything that will make their team better” ~@ShamsCharania
Beverley averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals during his 58 appearances with Minnesota last season. Bigger than the stats is Beverley’s energy and impact while disrupting opposing players during games as the guard has no problem being an agitator.
The deal points to the Lakers moving on from attempting to land Kyrie Irving. Kevin Durant’s re-commitment to the Nets likely puts an end to the chances of Irving being traded.
“We told you a month ago that Kyrie to the Lakers wasn’t gonna happen,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania noted during an August 23 interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “The Lakers are open to anything that will make their team better.”
Beverley Had Been Campaigning to Join the Lakers
The veteran NBA guard had been campaigning to play alongside LeBron James throughout the offseason. Now, Beverley finally gets his wish after years of trying to antagonize James and Russell Westbrook as an opponent.
“I wouldn’t even hesitate, just to be able to play with a great like that [James] and be able to pick his brain,” Beverley noted during a May 16 interview on ESPN’s “This Just In.” “Be able to be a star in whatever role that I have, playing [alongside] Russell Westbrook. Fantastic, playing for the Lakers? You couldn’t ask for a better job.”
Could a Lakers Trade With the Pacers Be Next?
With the Lakers officially moving on from attempting to acquire Irving, general manager Rob Pelinka may be making more deals in the coming days. The Lakers continue to be linked to trade talks with the Pacers centered around sharpshooter Buddy Hield and big man Myles Turner.
“The Lakers can do a lot worse than the potential Pacers package of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield as a consolation prize,” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote on August 24. “The catch here is that a Pacers deal would likely require both of Los Angeles’ tradeable future first-round picks (2027 and 2029), which was one of the haggling points in talks with Indiana a few weeks ago (the Lakers have been willing to trade one pick but not both in non-Irving deals).
“Now that James is committed through at least 2024, and they’ve told them they’re going to be more aggressive in their pursuit to upgrade the roster and improve their title chances, it’s worth it for the Lakers to part with a second first-round pick (likely 2029) to acquire Turner and Hield.”
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Patrick Beverley Goes Viral With First Reaction to Lakers Trade