The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz this week in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.
When L.A. won a championship in 2020 the team boasted one of the league’s top-tier defenses. Last season, when they failed to make the playoffs altogether, the Lakers ranked 21st in defensive efficiency.
Over the past five years Beverley has been one of the top defenders in the NBA and is known for bringing a certain toughness and tenacity that has sorely been lacking in Los Angeles as of late.
In response to the big trade, Beverley took to Twitter on Thursday to respond with a 6-word message:
Woke up a Laker!!! 💜💛🙏🏾 Its On!!!
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) August 25, 2022
Further adding to the intrigue of this move is Beverley’s brutal history with Lakers guard Russell Westbrook.
Beverley’s savage tweet to Westbrook from earlier this year went mega-viral, and many are fascinated to see what the dynamic between them will look like now that they are teammates.
Of course, the prevailing wisdom right now is that L.A. will move Westbrook before the start of next season. The Lakers are trying to plug two big holes at he moment and the assumption is that Westbrook will need to be utilized for that to happen. Particularly with Horton-Tucker now off the board.
All of this would also go some ways to explain the hostility Westbrook has been displaying on social media as of late. Clearly he knows his days in Los Angeles are probably numbered.
There is one obvious trade with the Indiana Pacers that would make a ton of sense for L.A.; the Dallas Mavericks are a dark horse suitor for a potential Lakers deal as well.
Fans noticed something different about Ayesha’s face. https://t.co/Nflhy6H6he
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 25, 2022
This Beverley acquisition likely signals that more moves are on the horizon.
What will the Lakers’ lineup look like when the regular season finally rolls around?
Time will tell.
Related: Lakers’ Current Position On Trading For Knicks’ Julius Randle
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
