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Reports: Lakers acquiring Patrick Beverley from Jazz for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson

jack baer
Staff writer
·3 min read
353

The revamping Los Angeles Lakers are bringing in an old foe.

The team is finalizing a deal to acquire veteran guard Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The deal is reportedly expected to be finalized Thursday morning.

Beverley, who signed a one-year, $13 million extension last season, arrived with the Jazz earlier this offseason as part of the Rudy Gobert blockbuster that also sent a boatload of draft picks and other players from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

How will Patrick Beverley fit on the Lakers?

Now, the veteran guard lands with a Lakers team that should have plenty of use for him. Beverley's game is well-established at this point: being an absolute pest on defense while sharing the ball on offense and making 3-pointers when he has to. And making as much noise as humanly possibly via sound bites and social media.

That could play well in Los Angeles, where perimeter defense and perimeter shooting were clear weaknesses last season, especially after the loss of Alex Caruso. Beverley isn't a 1-to-1 replacement for the current Chicago Bulls guard, but it's at least something for a team that needed to change.

Beverley has something of a history with the Lakers, which is basically an eventuality for a player as loud as him when he plays for Western Conference contenders. He made clear he believes he can help the Lakers a few months ago, taking a swipe at LeBron James in the process.

The 34-year-old Beverley averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-high 4.6 assists per game last season with the Timberwolves. He figures to be part of a guard rotation that also includes Russell Westbrook (for now), Austin Reaves, Kendrick Nunn and Lonnie Walker IV.

FILE- Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley (22) plays in the first half during Game 5 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 26, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. Rudy Gobert has been traded by the Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a massive package of players and draft picks, a person with knowledge of the blockbuster deal said. Utah is getting four first-round picks between 2023 and 2029, along with Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and a first-round pick this year in Walker Kessler, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday, July 1, 2022, on condition of anonymity because the NBA had not approved the deal and neither team could announce it publicly. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)
Patrick Beverley and the Lakers could be an interesting match. Or a disaster. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)

What the Jazz are getting from the Lakers

On Utah's end, the Jazz acquire a young potential rotation piece in Horton-Tucker, who looked like part of the Lakers' future until the time came for him to carry a heavier load on offense. He remains an unacceptably bad 3-point shooter, making 26.9% from deep last season, but remains only 21 years old with decent physical upside.

Johnson went from a 10-day contract to a legitimate rotation piece last season at a desperate time for the Lakers, finishing the season with 6.7 points per game.