The trade rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers are starting to pick up, and some of them involve veteran guard Patrick Beverley.
He has been having a rough season for them, and he reportedly would like to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves if L.A. does indeed deal him.
“Should Beverley ultimately get moved to a rebuilding situation like the [Detroit] Pistons, the grizzled guard has a desire to return to Minnesota, sources said, should he reach free agency via buyout,” wrote Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Beverley played in Minnesota last season, and he played a key role in helping them advance past the play-in tournament and reach the NBA playoffs for only the second time in nearly two decades. His defense, intensity and leadership were integral to the success the team had.
Prior to that, Beverley had spent several seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets. During that time, he developed a reputation as a great defender, albeit an annoying one, and a very dependable 3-point shooter.
So far this season, Beverley’s defense has helped the Lakers at times, but his outside shooting and overall offense have been atrocious. He is shooting just 30.3 percent from the field and 25.4 percent from beyond the arc, compared to his career mark of 37.4 percent in the latter category.
One potential trade would have the Lakers acquiring veteran sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic for some combination of Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and draft capital.
When Beverley has been on the court, he has appeared to be a big liability on offense. In L.A.’s 122-118 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the Celtics left Beverley open, which many teams have been doing, and dared him to fire away.
He managed to hit 2-of-3 from downtown, but nights where he has been efficient from the outside have been few and far between.
Outside shooting is the Lakers’ biggest weakness, and improving it would go a long way in helping them become very competitive as they look to maximize whatever is left of LeBron James’ prime.
