Patrick Beverley wanted to set the record straight on being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Beverley was sent to the Orlando Magic as part of the deal that brought Mo Bamba to the Lakers. Beverley was later bought out by the Magic and signed with the Chicago Bulls.
The polarizing guard has been vocal since being dealt and took to “The Pat Bev Podcast” to make it clear that the Lakers didn’t just toss him into a trade — he asked for it.
“To some people it could be that Pat Bev got traded, in all reality it was like, ‘No I didn’t like what was going on, and let’s find a better home for me,'” Beverley said. “Not that, ‘He ain’t good enough, let’s get rid of him.’ All that s**t was my decision. You gotta think, I’m making a decision that was my decision. They honor my request, but at the same time now I’m sitting here without a home. It just hit a little different.”
Beverley Says He’ll Dive in on Lakers Issues Later
It might be a bit of revisionist history from Beverley, who appeared to be excited when the Lakers traded for D’Angelo Russell, his former teammate in Minnesota.
“The gang is back,” Beverley tweeted after the trade went down.
Beverley declined to go into more detail on his trade request, saying he would divulge more details at a later time.
“Yeah, but we’ll dive into that a little later,” Beverley said. “We’ll dive into that a little deeper later on in the season when I take care of a little more business before I get to telling everybody the spades in my hand.”
Beverley Said He Wants to Knock Lakers Out of Playoffs
It’s clear Beverley has some ill will when it comes to the Lakers. His Bulls will see the Lakers twice before the end of the season and Beverley wants to do his part to knock LA out of the playoff picture. The Lakers meet up with the Bulls twice to close out the month of March.
Beverley has played a fairly substantial role for Chicago. He’s played in four games, averaging 27.8 minutes, 5.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Beverley is out to prove he’s more than just the pest his reputation indicates.
“It’s hard to judge me from the outside stuff,” Beverley said. “A lot of people think what I do is put on a lot of antics and all that extra [stuff]. But reality, when I’m on your team and I’m your teammate, I’m a player and you’re my coach, you get a different vibe: ‘He’d do anything for the team.’
“You know me, I’m going to be on Zach LaVine a**. I’m going to give him all the energy he needs. Destroy people. Me and DeMar DeRozan, we good. I got a [pick-and-pop] 5 in [Nikola] Vucevic. I’m excited.”
The Bulls have some work to do if they want to get into the postseason. Despite winning three of their last four, Chicago is the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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Patrick Beverly Rips Lakers Over Trade: ‘I Didn’t Like What Was Going on’