When a team makes a blockbuster trade, it often finds itself with a number of contracts it doesn’t necessarily want but needed to absorb in order to make the deal legal. Such is the case with the Utah Jazz, who are about to embark upon a multi-year rebuild, but who needed to take on some veteran contracts to send Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of those veterans is defensive ace Patrick Beverley, and according to Bleacher Report, the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are both interested if Utah decides to flip him for more assets.
The Lakers have badly needed defense ever since they let Alex Caruso sign with the Chicago Bulls, but beyond that, Beverley would be one of the better shooters on their entire roster after they devoted most of their free-agent resources to athleticism. He would fit like a glove as a low-usage point guard on a LeBron James team, and after spending several years in Los Angeles with the Clippers, he’d likely be eager to return to his old stomping grounds.
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Miami lost a key defender in P.J. Tucker this offseason to the Philadelphia 76ers. Beverley may be a guard, but he can defend almost anybody on the positional spectrum. Miami would likely feel comfortable throwing him at almost any top opposing scorer, and his gritty attitude would fit in perfectly with the Heat’s famously militaristic culture. The Heat had Beverley as a youngster in 2009, but cut him before the season.
Beverley would fit on almost any contending roster. There simply aren’t enough perimeter players in basketball that can shoot and defend at a high enough level to survive in the playoffs. Beverley has proven that he can. That is going to make him a hot commodity on the trade market whenever Utah decides to move him.
