Getty Patrick Beverley with Los Angeles Lakers teammates.
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t as bad of a team as many expected them to be but they’re clearly not good enough to consistently beat top teams. There are some serious issues on the roster that the team should try to address. With a trade of Russell Westbrook looking less likely, Kendrick Nunn and Patrick Beverley become the most likely players to get traded.
Beverley may not have a problem with that. Depending on where he’s traded, there’s a good shot that the veteran guard gets bought out. If that happens, he knows where he wants to play. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Beverley wouldn’t mind returning to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Should Beverley ultimately get moved to a rebuilding situation like the Pistons, the grizzled guard has a desire to return to Minnesota, sources said, should he reach free agency via buyout,” Fischer wrote.
Beverley spent last season in Minnesota and helped lead them to a playoff berth. The Timberwolves have had a rough start to the season despite adding Rudy Gobert to a playoff team. Perhaps a fiery player like Beverley could come and help get the team into a better place. They certainly have the talent to be a contender.
Beverley Would Have to Hope for a Buyout
In a perfect world, the Lakers would be able to trade Beverley to the Timberwolves for a three-and-d wing. Unfortunately, they don’t have one that would work in a deal with the Lakers. Minnesota wouldn’t be a good trade partner for Los Angeles, which means that Beverley has to hope to get bought out if he’s going back.
That’s still a very realistic option. He’s the fourth-highest-paid player on the Lakers and one of their most tradable contracts. Beverley has been an impact player in the past but he hasn’t helped the Lakers much. He’s not the great defender he once was and is making just 25.4% of his threes. The team has plenty of leadership provided by LeBron James so they don’t need Beverley in that regard.
Lakers Trying to Trade for Kyle Kuzma?
The Lakers are scouring the NBA for trades and that could lead them to try and fix a mistake. When the team traded Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards, they included Kyle Kuzma. He was constantly at the center of trade rumors during his time in Los Angeles but now that he’s gone, the Lakers might want him back. In fact, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the team has already reached out to Washington about the veteran forward.
“Sources told me that the Lakers did inquire about Kyle Kuzma,” Haynes said. “And we have to understand Kuzma’s situation in Washington. So, Kyle Kuzma has a player option. He can decline that option and hit free agency, which I believe that will be the case. Things happen, there’s still a long season to play out, but as of right now, yes, that is the plan to decline that option. But, from what I was told, the Lakers reached out, inquired about Kyle Kuzma. The Washington Wizards really love Kyle Kuzma. They especially love to pair him with Porzingis and Brad Beal. The Washington Wizards, when you talk about the general manager over there who runs things over there Tommy Sheppard, he has a track record of taking care of his players who perform well. So the Wizards are not going to give Kyle Kuzma up for cheap. They really covet him. They’re definitely going to be open to signing him to a long term extension, but anything is possible.”
Lakers have “inquired” about trading for Kyle Kuzma, per @ChrisBHaynes
(via B/R live show)