Patrick Beverley unexpectedly joined the Los Angeles Lakers last month in what will likely remain the team’s only trade of the 2022 offseason.
The Lakers have reportedly tried to swap Russell Westbrook for valuable role players throughout the summer. However, their hopes of moving Westbrook before the start of the 2022-23 season are likely over after the Utah Jazz traded L.A.’s main target, Bojan Bogdanovic, to the Detroit Pistons.
Beverley’s arrival in L.A. was an unexpected one — made possible by Rudy Gobert’s blockbuster trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the summer. The Timberwolves paid a staggering price for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, sending five players and four first-round picks to Utah for the French center only.
Six weeks after Beverley left Minneapolis, he shared his feelings about the trade on Twitter — appearing to suggest the Timberwolves might miss the 34-year-old’s intangibles:
Yal take Tony Allen off that Celtic squad Yal a different team. That’s all I’m saying. Toughness and Dog mentality goes further when skill doesn’t work hard. https://t.co/wt6BQTc25t
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) September 22, 2022
Beverley’s tweet was prompted by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s discussion about the Gobert trade. Pierce said the Timberwolves could finish the 2022-23 regular season as one of the Western Conference’s top-4 seeds with Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns in the starting backcourt.
But Garnett pointed out Minnesota gave up a lot of assets to acquire the All-Star center, including Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt — who the Celtics legend considered the team’s defensive core and a pair of no-nonsense veterans who aided Anthony Edwards’ growth.
Beverley emphasized Garnett’s point by pointing out how big a role Tony Allen’s leadership and toughness played in the Celtics’ 2008 championship win. Allen was known for his defensive intensity, which Beverley does a good job of replicating.
Darvin Ham explains how Beverley will encourage accountability on Lakers
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham recently said Beverley’s no-nonsense attitude played a major role in the Lakers’ decision to trade for the point guard.
Ham recently explained how the veteran will help him foster accountability on the Lakers. “He connects, he’s fearless. He’s gonna be able to say what needs to be said in the right way to our big dogs as well as our younger players,” Ham said.
“In acquiring him, that’s one of the biggest things that stood out about him. You know, he stands for the right things. He’s not selfishly motivated. He’s all about winning and all about the right things. And he practices that on a daily.”
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