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As time passes, it could become more difficult for the Los Angeles Lakers to pull off a trade for Kyrie Irving. The seven-time All-Star has yet to formally request a trade from the Brooklyn Nets and there’s been little movement on a possible Kevin Durant deal. If Durant doesn’t go anywhere, it’s hard to imagine Irving getting traded.
With a blockbuster trade becoming less likely, the Lakers may need to look at other ways to improve the roster. That could involve the team looking at Patrick Beverley, who was recently traded to the Utah Jazz as part of the Rudy Gobert deal. Beverley recently stated that he’d be open to going to the Lakers if it was possible. While he’s been an antagonist of the team in the past, he would provide veteran leadership and defense to the team.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report pitched that the Lakers trade Talen Horton-Tucker and rookie Max Christie to the Jazz for Beverley:
Over his 10-year career, he has 2,203 three-point attempts, a 37.8 three-point percentage and a 1.2 defensive box plus/minus. Shane Battier, Paul George, Danny Green, Joe Ingles, Kawhi Leonard and John Stockton are the only players in league history to match or exceed all three marks.
Even at 34 years old, he’s a hand-in-glove fit for a Lakers team that should be going for broke.
Utah, meanwhile, gets a 21-year-old who, despite a down third season, still has potential as a playmaking wing who’d get a lot more reps on a rebuilding team.
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A Beverley Trade Is Unlikely, per Insider
Beverley was once one of the NBA’s great defenders but he’s 34 now. He did make the NBA All-Defensive Second Team as recently as 2020 but trading him could go against what the Lakers are trying to achieve this offseason. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Los Angeles isn’t interested in swapping Horton-Tucker for Beverley at this juncture:
While they continue to register the league’s only tangible trade interest in Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, it’s likewise true that the Lakers have prioritized adding speed, youth and athleticism to the roster. As such, according to one source familiar with the team’s thinking, there is no push forthcoming from the Lakers’ side to swap Talen Horton-Tucker (as rumored) for Patrick Beverley, who ranks as one of Utah’s very available veterans alongside Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanović and Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz acquired Beverley and Malik Beasley in the Rudy Gobert trade and have made Beasley available as well.
Should Lakers Trade for Beverley?
It’s always a good thing to add strong defensive players and Beverley would certainly make an impact on that side of the court. However, if Russell Westbrook is still on the team when the season starts, there’s no way the Lakers can have both guards on the team. The two have a well-publicized beef that goes back a few years now.
Beverley has played nice with LeBron James recently so that could help his chances but the guard has also referred to the Lakers’ recent 2020 championship as a “bubble championship.” He really has done a lot to make Lakers fans dislike him. It would be an uphill battle for them to embrace him.
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