Patrick Beverley Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Beverley, Ayton, Fontecchio, Towns

July 30th, 2022 at 11:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Patrick Beverley is one of several Jazz veterans awaiting clarity on the team’s plans, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune writes. Beverley was acquired from the Timberwolves in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster and the 34-year old guard wants to play for a contender. If Utah trades Donovan Mitchell, it will signal a full rebuild.

“Hopefully Donovan Mitchell stays and the team is competitive, and if that’s the case, we’re very excited,” Beverley said. “If that’s not the case, then, obviously, I’ve been in this league long enough I want to taste how winning a championship feels. We’ll see, though, over the next couple of weeks.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Suns matched the Pacers’ offer sheet for Deandre Ayton but there are still fences to be mended between the team and its starting center, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “The weirdness of the Ayton situation, both the contract negotiations, the widespread perception, I’m talking widespread around the league that the bridge was pretty much burned between Ayton and the team,” he said. “The comments that Monty Williams made after Game 7 when he pulled Ayton. There’s clearly some mending of fences that has to happen there. Can it happen? Is this just a ‘we’re waiting it out until we can trade him’ situation? That’s another interesting human dynamic.”
The Jazz had a simple reason for signing Italian small forward Simone Fontecchio to a two-year contract. They felt he was the best player on the unrestricted free agent market, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. He’s a versatile 6’8”player who shot 41% on 3-point attempts last season.
The trust between Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns and the front office has grown over the years, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes. Towns signed a super-max extension this month approximately a week after it was offered by the franchise. When he received a rookie scale extension in 2018, he waited months to sign it as the drama involving then coach Tom Thibodeau and Jimmy Butler played out.

Northwest Notes: Beverley, Mitchell, Lillard, Thunder

July 27th, 2022 at 8:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

After working to create a culture change in Minnesota last season, Patrick Beverley was looking forward to helping the Timberwolves take the next step. Although he was caught off guard by the team’s decision to send him to the Jazz in the Rudy Gobert trade, Beverley told Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston he wouldn’t call the move a surprise (video link).

“Surprised, no not in this business,” Beverley said. “Understood it. Never personal, always business. We did some great things in Minnesota. We kind of revamped the environment there. Gave the fans something to be happy about.”

Beverley brought a veteran presence to a young Wolves team that reached the playoffs for just the second time in the past 18 seasons. He hopes to fill a similar role for Utah, but admits that things are unpredictable in the midst of Donovan Mitchell trade rumors.

“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. It’s a lot going on right now,” Beverley said (video link). “We’ll see where the dust clears. Hopefully Donovan Mitchell stays and the team is competitive. If that’s the case we’re very excited.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Knicks are still in position to make the best offer for Mitchell, but Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has the advantage of being able to wait until someone meets his price, notes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Larsen examines the trade assets from the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Kings, Raptors and Wizards – all rumored Mitchell suitors – to see what they could potentially offer.
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard considers himself fully recovered from abdominal surgery in January, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Lillard played 29 games last season before deciding to have the operation, but he admits that the pain had been bothering him for nearly five years. “I feel 100 percent healthy,” Lillard said. “I got a break from playing and going out there knowing I didn’t feel good, and the burden of, ‘We have to win. I have to perform well.’ That’s a little bit stressful. So the last seven-and-a-half, almost eight months without having to think about none of those things, it kind of cleared my mind. Physically, I feel great.”
Longtime Sixers executive Vince Rozman will join the Thunder as vice president of identification and intelligence, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lakers Rumors: Irving, Trade Targets, Westbrook

July 18th, 2022 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

It remains to be seen whether or not the Lakers will be able to work out a trade with the Nets for Kyrie Irving, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN believes L.A. has at least one more major roster move up its sleeve this offseason, as he stated on Monday during the network’s latest episode of Get Up (video link).

“I think the Lakers will make a deal. Maybe more than one deal,” Wojnarowski said. “It may not be for Kyrie Irving, it may not be for an All-NBA player, an All-Star. But players like Eric Gordon in Houston, Buddy Hield in Indiana, players like Patrick Beverley, who came to the Jazz in a trade from Minnesota, who are role players are winning teams. What is the price for those kind of moves? I think they’re going to continue to be active on all those things.”

As Wojnarowski explains, the Lakers aren’t eager to part with all of their most valuable trade assets for modest short-term upgrades, but they still feel the need to add more talent to the roster to take advantage of LeBron James‘ remaining prime years.

“When LeBron’s putting pressure on the front office, on the organization, teams are asking for a lot to do a deal with the Lakers,” Wojnarowski said. “Rob Pelinka‘s trying to keep from trading the 2027, 2029 unprotected first-round picks that obviously LeBron James doesn’t value greatly because he may not be around. He wants to win now. That’s the balance of being in the front office vs. having to serve the fact that you’ve got LeBron James still playing at an incredibly high level at an age we’ve never seen a player play at that level.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

A potential trade sending Irving to the Lakers is “not completely dead,” per Wojnarowski, but such a deal still hinges in large part on what the Nets do with Kevin Durant. “The Nets are more focused on trying to find a deal for KD before they would even move Kyrie Irving,” Woj said. “I think there’s a good chance that Kyrie Irving is back in Brooklyn to start the season if Kevin Durant is back in Brooklyn.”
Russell Westbrook‘s public split with his longtime agent doesn’t bode well for the former MVP’s relationship with the Lakers, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who says that dynamic between Westbrook and the team is becoming “more untenable with each passing week.” League sources tell Buha that the divorce between Westbrook and agent Thad Foucher caught several people around the Lakers by surprise.
Foucher’s statement, which hinted that Westbrook is seeking another change of scenery, may further hurt the Lakers’ leverage in trade talks, Buha writes. Multiple league sources tell The Athletic that potential trade partners are already asking for at least L.A.’s 2027 or 2029 first-round pick in order to take on Westbrook’s pricey expiring contract.
Marc Stein says in his latest Substack article that the Knicks and Jazz are viewed by some people around the league as possible landing spots for Westbrook if the two teams complete a Donovan Mitchell trade. Stein explains that the Knicks may be more inclined to trade away Julius Randle and his long-term contract for a big expiring deal like Westbrook’s in that scenario, though it strikes me as a long shot that New York and L.A. would be able to find a mutually beneficial swap involving those two players.

Stein’s Latest: Mitchell, Knicks, Sixers, Lakers, Beverley

July 15th, 2022 at 7:46pm CST by Rory Maher

New York’s impending pursuit of Jalen Brunson became obvious once a Knicks contingent led by Julius Randle, William Wesley and Allan Houston was spotted at Game 1 of the first-round series between the Mavericks and Jazz. However, as Marc Stein writes in his lastest article for Substack, it’s clear now that New York had designs on pursuing Donovan Mitchell as well as Brunson.

Recent reports from Tony Jones of The Athletic and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune indicate that the Jazz are looking for six first-round picks and young players in exchange for Mitchell, but the Knicks balked at that asking price. According to Stein, even if the Knicks have more draft picks to offer at the moment, they should be “careful not to underestimate” the Heat and Nets as potential Mitchell suitors.

Under president Leon Rose, the Knicks have unsuccessfully pursued other star players, which is why it’s so important to the incumbent regime to land a player of Mitchell’s stature, Stein says.

Here’s more from Stein:

Mitchell has multiple ties to the Knicks, Stein adds. Mitchell is “very close” with Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, who was an assistant with the Jazz for several seasons and recently had multiple interviews for Utah’s head coaching job. He’s also friends with Brunson due to their shared connection with Eric Paschall, who is Mitchell’s closest friend in the NBA and was college teammates with Brunson at Villanova, per Stein.
Like the Knicks’ pursuit of Brunson, the Sixers are likely to face a tampering investigation due to the signing of P.J. Tucker, according to Stein, who reported four days before free agency opened that several rival teams were convinced that Tucker would land with Philadelphia. Stein and others had linked Tucker to the Sixers even before the draft, a week before free agency opened, and Stein notes that Tucker’s agent informed Shams Charania of The Athletic that he was heading to Philly a minute after free agency opened.
It has been rumored that the Lakers might be interested in Jazz guard Patrick Beverley, but a source tells Stein that L.A. has no plans to deal Talen Horton-Tucker for the veteran. The Lakers have been prioritizing speed and youth in the offseason, so swapping a 21-year-old for a 34-year-old would detract from that, Stein notes. Horton-Tucker had been floated as a possibility because the Lakers don’t have any other mid-size contracts for salary-matching purposes — he’ll make $10.26MM in 2022/23, while Beverley will earn $13MM.

Jazz, Knicks Discussing Donovan Mitchell Trade

July 13th, 2022 at 10:46pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz and Knicks are discussing a deal that would send Donovan Mitchell to New York, sources tell Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

According to The Athletic’s duo, the Jazz are listening to offers from multiple teams, but the Knicks have become the “focused destination.” Both teams have discussed the framework of a potential deal in the past 24 hours, Charania and Jones report.

New York possesses several future first-round picks and young players to package for the three-time All-Star, including second-year guard Quentin Grimes, whom the Jazz are believed to be interested in, sources tell The Athletic. Grimes was the No. 25 pick of the 2021 draft, shot 38.1% from three-point range as a rookie while playing solid defense, and has had a strong Summer League performance in Las Vegas over the past week.

Utah is focused on a return centered around draft picks and players on rookie scale contracts, per Charania and Jones. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported earlier today that the Jazz were keying in on a draft pick-centric package.

After Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said the Jazz are open to moving any of the players acquired from the Timberwolves, Charania and Jones go a step further, saying that there are no untouchable players on Utah’s roster, and all of the team’s veterans have been made available. Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and Jordan Clarkson have all drawn interest in trade talks, sources tell The Athletic.

The Jazz apparently view draft picks as the best way to rebuild the roster, with CEO Danny Ainge recently discussing the subject of the team’s limitations following the Rudy Gobert trade.

“You’re over the tax, no draft picks, and our team loses in the first round,” Ainge said on Saturday. “It wasn’t fun for us. We want it to be fun for our fans and our players, but we just haven’t had much flexibility to do anything over the last little while.”

The Knicks are motivated to present a “significant package” for Mitchell, according to Charania and Jones, but as Begley wrote, they’re wary of giving up too much because they want to have enough depth to be a contender in the East.

The Athletic’s duo says there’s “incredible interest” on the Knicks’ side to bring the 25-year-old home to New York, where Mitchell spends a lot of time in the offseason. Still, the Jazz have a high asking price for the talented guard, so it remains to be seen what a potential deal might ultimately look like.

Jazz Rumors: Mitchell, Sexton, Conley, Vanderbilt, Beverley, More

July 13th, 2022 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz are reportedly open to listening to trade inquiries on Donovan Mitchell, but that doesn’t mean they’re shopping the All-Star guard or that he’s likely to be moved this offseason, according to reports from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Both Fischer and Jones say the Jazz remain focused on keeping Mitchell and building around him, but would consider changing their stance if they get a significant enough trade offer. Fischer suggests such an offer would have to “rival or even surpass” what Utah got for Rudy Gobert.

The front office has been in constant contact with Mitchell’s representatives, according to Jones, who says those conversations have been positive and the 25-year-old hasn’t asked to be dealt. However, Jones acknowledges that the Jazz will likely take a step back in 2022/23 after moving Gobert, and Mitchell “wants to win at a high level,” so the team’s next moves will be crucial.

Fischer likens the situation to James Harden‘s final year in Houston, when the Rockets rebuffed trade offers for P.J. Tucker and made moves to try to convince Harden to stick around, only to see him eventually request a trade. That doesn’t mean Mitchell will take the same path, but some executives around the league believe he and the Jazz are headed for a break-up, whether it happens this offseason or in a year or two.

Although Jones says several other teams have made “serious overtures,” the Knicks have long been viewed as one of the primary suitors for Mitchell. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during an appearance on Get Up (video link) that “some people” view it as inevitable that the former lottery pick will ultimately end up in New York.

“New York can offer some combination of multiple picks, RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley, and that’s probably the benchmark any team is going to have to beat in order to get Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz,” an assistant general manager told Bleacher Report.

The Heat have also been frequently linked to Mitchell, but Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune says Miami made an offer for the former Louisville standout earlier in the offseason and the Jazz found it “insufficient.”

According to Fischer, who polled about two dozen executives in Las Vegas, Barrett has more trade value than Tyler Herro, Miami’s most logical trade centerpiece, though it’s unclear whether Utah has serious interest in either player — both are expected to be seeking maximum-salary (or near-max) extensions that would begin in 2023/24.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

The Jazz have explored a potential sign-and-trade deal for Collin Sexton that would send Mike Conley to Cleveland, sources tell Bleacher Report. However, Fischer admits that Conley may not fit the Cavaliers‘ roster and suggests that if those talks gain serious traction, another Utah player would probably have to be involved. Conley did generate some interest from the Clippers before they signed John Wall, Fischer adds, but it’s trickier to find a logical landing spot for him at this point.
Leading up to the June 23 draft, the Jazz were looking for first-round picks in the 15-to-25 range for Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, or Royce O’Neale, Fischer reports. The team ended up moving O’Neale for a 2023 first-rounder.
All of the players the Jazz acquired from Minnesota in the Gobert trade are considered available, Fischer says. “They are open to moving everyone,” one assistant GM told Bleacher Report.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Patrick Beverley are among the players from that Gobert trade who have drawn interest, per Fischer. Sources tell Bleacher Report that the Lakers and Heat are a couple of the teams with some interest in Beverley.

Jazz Trade Rudy Gobert To Timberwolves

July 6th, 2022 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Gobert has officially been traded from Utah to Minnesota, the Timberwolves confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 1: The Jazz are trading three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (all Twitter links), the Jazz will receive Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler, and four future first-rounders in the deal.

Minnesota will send Utah unprotected first-round picks in 2023, 2025, and 2027, along with a top-five protected 2029 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2026, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A major shake-up had been expected in Utah this spring and Gobert has been mentioned in trade rumors since the Jazz were eliminated from the postseason. On top of that, the Wolves were rumored to be in the market for a rim-protecting center to play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, and had been linked to Gobert.

Still, the fact that the two division rivals were able to agree to terms on this blockbuster deal comes as a major surprise. It represents a huge home-run swing by new Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, and is the first significant roster move made by Jazz CEO Danny Ainge.

The move will cost the Timberwolves a good amount of their depth, but will create a loaded starting five. Towns and Gobert figure to be joined by point guard D’Angelo Russell, rising star Anthony Edwards, and one of Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince, or Jaden McDaniels.

The Wolves will have Gobert under contract for several years — he’s owed a guaranteed $123MM over the next three seasons and has a $46.7MM player option for 2025/26.

Minnesota currently projects to be about $9.5MM below this season’s luxury tax line, with 11 players on their books, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Meanwhile, of the players headed to Utah in this trade, only Kessler will have guaranteed money on his contract beyond 2022/23. Beverley is on an expiring contract, while Beasley, Vanderbilt, and Bolmaro all have team options for ’23/24.

The Jazz are currently $11MM below this year’s tax line for 13 players and should have significant cap flexibility in future seasons, says Marks.

Having also acquired a first-round pick from Brooklyn this week in exchange for Royce O’Neale, the Jazz are now loaded with draft assets and plan to retool their roster around Donovan Mitchell going forward, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Tony Jones of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that the team has no plans to trade Mitchell.

There could be an opportunity for the Jazz to turn around and immediately flip some of the picks they’ve accumulated for an impact player who will complement Mitchell.

For instance, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports (via Twitter) that Utah has some interest in exploring a sign-and-trade deal for Suns restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton, and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer confirms (via Twitter) that the Wolves, Jazz, and Suns had discussed some three-team scenarios.

After seeing multiple unprotected first-round picks change hands this week in deals involving Gobert and Dejounte Murray, it’s safe to say the Nets’ asking price for Kevin Durant will be astronomical. Brooklyn is said to be seeking a “historical haul” for the former MVP.

Wolves Notes: Front Office, Beverley, Davison, Arena

June 5th, 2022 at 10:33am CST by Arthur Hill

The expected addition of Matt Lloyd as senior vice president of basketball operations raises some questions about the hierarchy in the Timberwolves‘ front office, but Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic believes that may not matter.

Lloyd, who is being hired away from the Magic, will join a team that already has Sachin Gupta as executive vice president of basketball operations. While it’s not clear who will be second in command, Krawczynski points out that new president of basketball operations Tim Connelly built a reputation for listening to everyone when he ran the Nuggets.

“I want to get to know who’s here. And I have a pretty good sense, but you don’t know until you’re in the same room as those people,” Connelly told reporters this week. “I don’t have all the answers. It’s going to be a collaborative effort. I believe in colleagues; I don’t believe in employees.”

Lloyd was attractive to the Wolves because of his experience running the scouting department in Orlando and Chicago. Minnesota owns the 19th pick in this month’s draft, along with three second-rounders, and Lloyd’s first priority will be to identify prospective talent.

There’s more on the Timberwolves:

Miami could be a destination if Minnesota decides to part with Patrick Beverley this summer, an Eastern Conference general manager tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. The veteran guard was productive during his first season with the Wolves and seems unlikely to be moved, but it’s possible the new-look front office could try to maximize his value. “The Heat would love to get Patrick Beverley,” the unidentified GM said. “The Timberwolves, obviously, they love what he brought last year, but if they could sell high, they might be willing to give him up. They have a new regime there, so they can look at things a little more realistically.”
Wisconsin guard Brad Davison will work out for Minnesota next week, tweets Darren Wolfson of Eyewitness 5 News. He has also conducted workouts for the Hawks and Nets.
When Alex Rodriguez talked about being “first in class in every category” this week, it’s a sign that he and Marc Lore plan to push for a new arena when they officially become majority owners next year, according to La Velle E. Neal III of The Star-Tribune.

Wolves Notes: Connelly, Towns, Russell, A-Rod, Lore

June 3rd, 2022 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

New Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly will make some additions to the team’s front office, starting with longtime Magic executive Matt Lloyd.

However, Connelly made it clear during his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he’s certainly not looking to clean house or make any major, immediate changes to the way the franchise is run, joking that his plan is to “get out of the way (and) hope I don’t mess it up too much,” according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic and Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“I’m not joining a team that’s broken,” Connelly said. “This is a team that’s trending in the right direction. It’s made a ton of really, really smart decisions, most recently extending (head coach) Chris (Finch) and getting Pat Beverley on the additional one-year (contract). So I’m not here to impede progress, I’m here to promote it, and I’m hopeful that I can learn a ton from the people in the building, and hopefully I can add a little bit of my knowledge to what’s already a very strong core of people.”

Connelly acknowledged that it was a difficult decision to leave Denver for Minnesota, suggesting there were “a lot of sleepless nights” as he weighed the decision. But he believes the Timberwolves have a have a chance to “do something special,” which helped sell him on the move.

Of course, the financial aspect of the Wolves’ offer was also a major selling point, though sources confirmed to The Athletic that Connelly doesn’t technically have a stake in the team’s ownership. His deal calls for him to “benefit financially” if the value of the franchise increases over the life of his contract, per Krawczynski.

“Basically he’s on a bonus program, just like a lot of people are,” majority owner Glen Taylor said when asked about the equity aspect of Connelly’s contract. “If the team does well, he does better.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Giving Karl-Anthony Towns a super-max extension this offseason should be a no-brainer decision for Connelly, but determining what to do with D’Angelo Russell will be a trickier call, Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune contends. Russell is also extension-eligible as he enters the final year of his current contract, and looks like a possible trade candidate. “I don’t know how or what our roster is going to look like on draft night or into free agency, but certainly this team doesn’t win 46 games without the contributions of them both,” Connelly said during his first media session, per Hine. “It’ll be fun to get to know both guys.”
Hiring Connelly away from Denver is part of a push by incoming Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore to make the club a “world-class” organization, writes La Velle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune. “We want to be first in class in every category,” Rodriguez said this week. “From an arena, to personnel to players, to medical staff, to physical therapy and everything in between. The Minnesota people deserve that. They are starving for a winner and we are going to bring them that.”
Michael Rand of The Star Tribune takes a look at three paths Connelly could take with the Timberwolves’ roster this offseason and beyond.

Timberwolves’ Patrick Beverley Fined $30K By NBA

April 14th, 2022 at 11:44am CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $30K by the NBA for “inappropriate statements during a media interview and on social media, including the egregious use of profanity,” the league announced (via Twitter).

Beverley made the comments following Tuesday’s 109-104 play-in tournament victory over the Clippers, which secured the No. 7 seed in the West for Minnesota. He said the win was extra special after spending four seasons (2017-21) as a Clipper before being traded twice last offseason, initially to Memphis, then to Minnesota. He failed to come to terms on extension with the Clippers in 2021 prior to being traded, calling the team’s offer “borderline disrespectful.”

“I gave my blood and sweat and tears to that organization,” Beverley said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “You guys know the story. Blood, sweat and tears, to just be written off like that, ‘He’s injury-prone. He’s old.’ This, this, that, that. To be able to come here and play them in a play-in and beat their ass, no other feeling, man. No other feeling.”

Beverley also said after the game that he told his former Clippers teammates to “take (their) ass home,” adding that he “f—ing told y’all” the Timberwolves would make the playoffs.

In his first year with the Wolves, the 33-year-old averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.9 BPG, with a shooting line of .406/.343/.722. Beverley signed a one-year, $13MM extension with Minnesota in February, so he’s under contract through 2022/23.

Beverley was just fined $25K a couple days ago after he was ejected from the team’s regular season finale against Chicago. However, since he’s earning $14,320,987 this season, the combined $55K in fines won’t put much of a dent in his pocket.

Game 1 of Minnesota’s series against Memphis, the No. 2 seed, is set to tip-off Saturday at 2:30pm CT on ESPN.