The Los Angeles Lakers have made it clear all offseason that they are looking to upgrade their roster, although their top option in Kyrie Irving is no longer available.
The Brooklyn Nets came out and said that both Kevin Durant and Irving will be returning for the 2022-23 season, leaving the Lakers to search elsewhere for the roster upgrades they seek.
One player the Lakers have been linked to seemingly all offseason is Patrick Beverley as he was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz in the Rufy Gobert deal. With the Jazz about to enter a rebuild, they have no use for their veterans like Beverley.
It appears Beverley was the Lakers’ top target as according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers are trading Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to the Jazz for him.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in advanced talks on a trade to acquire Utah Jazz guard Patrick Beverley for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson, sources tell ESPN. Deal could be finalized as soon as Thursday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2022
Lakers and Jazz are expected to finalize the deal on Thursday morning, delivering Beverley to LA after a brief stayover with Jazz. No picks involved in the deal, per sources. https://t.co/s4FjjrHu4q
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2022
For Beverley, this marks a return to L.A. where he played for the Clippers and was Public Enemy No. 1 for Lakers fans.
Even though Beverley was previously a rival of the Lakers, he has stated his desire to play for the Lakers on multiple occasions this offseason, even naming LeBron James as the one superstar he’d like to play with most.
Although Beverley is on an expiring $13 million contract, what he will bring to the Lakers is defensive toughness and some spot-up shooting, which the team is in dire need of.
While it is tough losing Horton-Tucker, who was once a very promising player for the Lakers and is still just 21 years of age, and Johnson, who was a bright light during an otherwise dark Lakers 2021-22 season, it seems that both of those players were on the outside looking in to the team’s rotation this season.
One person who is notably not involved in this trade is Russell Westbrook, who remains on the roster for now. The Lakers have had discussions with the Indiana Pacers about flipping Westbrook for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, so it will be interesting to see if those talks now get revisited.
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