The Los Angeles Lakers trade for Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans was just the first domino to fall during the offseason.
Now, the team must figure out how to best build the rest of their roster. While the Lakers have been linked to a couple of big names in free agency, there have also been some rumblings about role players the team could sign and one name consistently mentioned has been Patrick Beverley.
Beverley is well-known throughout the NBA for his physical defensive style and willingness to do anything to get in his opponent’s head. Many witnessed his battles with the much taller Kevin Durant in the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs and he’s also a career 38% three-point shooter.
With the Lakers having a big hole at the point guard position right now, it makes sense that Beverley’s name has been mentioned as a potential signing and he is paying attention as he showed on Twitter (WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE):
That’s what I heard. Shit real huh https://t.co/mdLAiGA4IY
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) June 18, 2019
There is no denying the fit of Beverley on this roster as he would bring shooting and defense to a roster that doesn’t have much of either. With it looking likely that the Lakers will have just $23.7 million in salary cap space instead of the max amount that they’d hoped, they could be forced to spend their money on high-quality role players.
Beverley undoubtedly fits that mold, but their ability to acquire him will be solely dependent on how much money they offer. Beverley was stopped by TMZ Sports and said that he will go to whichever team is paying the most money, before acknowledging the appeal of the Lakers:
“Oh, for sure. Of course. You got Anthony Davis and LeBron James. They make themselves a very exciting team.”
Despite that excitement, Beverley was clear in his desire to secure his family’s future and make as much money as possible for the 2019-20 NBA season. Whether the Lakers are willing to beat out others and spend that kind of money remains to be seen.
With just five players on the roster, the Lakers will have to be smart in how they fill out the remainder of their team. They will surely be hoping for a couple of veterans to take discounts in hopes of winning a championship, but they won’t find that in Beverley.