Patrick Beverley Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Westbrook, Beverley, Wall, Vucevic

February 15th, 2023 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After revealing on Monday night that he has been dealing with discomfort in his right hip and leg for a significant portion of the season, Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan underwent an MRI on Tuesday and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 thigh strain, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

DeRozan will miss Wednesday’s game in Indiana, but the team hasn’t ruled him out for Thursday vs. Milwaukee and he said he still intends to take part in All-Star festivities this weekend, according to Johnson.

“I don’t think it’s significant. But we’ll see how he progresses and how he feels,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “He knows his body well. He’s always very conscientious about taking care of it. We hope with treatment and how diligent he is, he’ll progress. But there’s enough discomfort there for him where he’s having a hard time moving and cutting and jumping.”

DeRozan said on Monday that he wasn’t sure when he originally suffered the injury, but that it cropped up about “10 games” before the January 9 contest vs. Boston, which he exited due to a right quad strain, per Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“When I’m sitting doing nothing, I don’t feel anything,” DeRozan said. “It’s just when I do anything to work that muscle in my leg, it’s just a lot of discomfort. So just trying to figure that out, get that situated the best I can.”

Here’s more out of Chicago:

According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report on his #thisleague UNCUT podcast, Donovan has conveyed to Russell Westbrook that Chicago would be the best place for him if he negotiates a buyout with Utah (hat tip to FOX Sports Radio). Asked about the possibility of Westbrook becoming a Bull, Donovan couldn’t speak openly about the possibility due to tampering rules, but expressed respect for the former MVP, whom Donovan coached in Oklahoma City (link via NBC Sports Chicago). “Like I’ve said before, you go into a locker room before a game and you’re not worried about whether or not he’s ready to play,” Donovan said. “Every game.”
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago describes the Bulls’ reported interest in Westbrook as “legitimate” and says the team has also had conversations with Patrick Beverley‘s camp. John Wall is another possible point guard target to monitor, Johnson adds.
In a Q&A with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Nikola Vucevic spoke about his contract situation, the Bulls’ struggles this season, and his career goals going forward. Regarding his next contract, Vucevic – who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer – said that money, the comfort of his family, and an ability to contend will be the three primary considerations that factor into his decision.

Southeast Notes: Rozier, Nunn, Bey, Beverley

February 14th, 2023 at 6:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Despite being involved in a series of trade rumors leading up to last week’s deadline, Hornets guard Terry Rozier stayed put in Charlotte. Now, he says he needs to set a good example for his young teammates for the rest of the season, he told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.

“It’s definitely been a tough season — for a lot of reasons. It can definitely get you down,” the Hornets guard said. “But I’ve got to make sure I’m setting the right example. There’s a lot of young guys here, and they’re looking to the veterans. I can’t let the disappointment show. It’s easy at this point in the season, with all the injuries that we’ve had and the record what it is because of that, and All-Star break coming up, it’s easy to give in and have that look. But I’m trying to get better myself, too.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards guard Kendrick Nunn, acquired from the Lakers in the Rui Hachimura swap, is trying to rebuild his value, Ava Wallace of The Washington Post notes. Nunn will be a free agent after the season. Nunn had 13 points — his highest output since the deal — and six assists against Golden State on Monday.
Forward Saddiq Bey, traded by Detroit, is eager to establish himself with the Hawks, he told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “This is my first time ever doing it (being traded), so we’re going to see how it goes,” he said. “But the coaching staff, the players, they’ve done a great job welcoming me. They’ve been playing, they play hard, they play together. So, it’s not going to be too hard to get adjusted, but I’m just trying to fit in with them.” Bey had 12 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes against Charlotte in his Atlanta debut.
Patrick Beverley will give some money back to the Magic if he signs with another team, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link). Beverley was waived on Saturday after reaching a buyout with the Magic. Beverley had a $13MM contract and will receive that full amount from Orlando if he remains a free agent. The Magic’s obligation to him would be reduced by $918,516 if he were to sign with a team on Tuesday, says Marks.

Patrick Beverley Waived By Magic

February 12th, 2023 at 3:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As had been widely anticipated, combo guard Patrick Beverley has been waived by the Magic, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The 6’1″ Beverley will become a free agent once he clears waivers. He was sent to the Magic by the Lakers as part of a four-team trade that netted Los Angeles two second-round draft picks, along with 3-and-D reserve big man Mo Bamba.

In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.

Beverley has emerged as a rumored buyout market target of the Clippers, after the team traded veteran point guards Reggie Jackson and John Wall at the deadline. That would mark his second go-round with L.A., He spent four seasons with the Clippers, from 2017-21, and was named to the league’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2020.

Western Notes: Russell, Kings, Westbrook, Beverley, Brooks

February 10th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

D’Angelo Russell is back with the Lakers after playing his first two seasons in Los Angeles. Russell, who is headed to unrestricted free agency this summer, says he’s grown a lot personally and professionally since his first stint with the franchise, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“I mean, a lot has happened since I’ve been here, right?” said Russell, who was acquired by the Lakers as part of a three-team deal with Minnesota and Utah. “I was an All-Star, went to the playoffs. I’ve done a lot of things individually. So to come back with that resume, I feel like it helps the team.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The dramatically improved Kings were quiet at the trade deadline and that was by design, GM Monte McNair told Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and other media members. “We looked at moves that may help us in the short term and help solidify that,” McNair said in a subscriber-only story. “But at the same time, what this group’s done — we have guys that have been in and out of the rotation that we think can help us out. I think we have a lot of depth already, and guys that have already proven they can help us. The continuity of the group is something we haven’t had as much of. We’ve had a lot of turnover lately, and now that we’ve had success, we think that (continuity) can be a big part of our stretch run as well.”
The Clippers still do not have a traditional point guard after making multiple deals but they could look to the buyout market to fill that need, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. Russell Westbrook or Patrick Beverley, who have very different skill sets, are candidates to fill their open roster spot if and when they’re waived and become free agents.
Dillon Brooks is headed to free agency this summer, but Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman said the team wasn’t looking to move the veteran wing – who has struggled offensively – before the trade deadline, according to Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Dillon Brooks is a huge part of this team,” Kleiman said. “Dillon Brooks is not someone who was shopped or anything to that effect at the deadline. He’s someone who we view as a critical component of this group and very much hope and could see him playing a big role for us for years to come.”

Buyout Rumors: Green, Westbrook, Bulls, Beverley, Ibaka, Heat, Sixers, Grizzlies

February 10th, 2023 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

After Rockets general manager Rafael Stone confirmed in a Friday press conference that Houston will simply waive John Wall, with no buyout required, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said during an appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link) that Danny Green would welcome a similar arrangement.

Both Wall and Green were acquired by Houston as salary-matching chips in the team’s Eric Gordon trade on Thursday. It’s unclear if Green would be willing to give up money as part of a buyout agreement.

If Green does become a free agent, teams like the Celtics and Cavaliers would be among those with interest, according to Wojnarowski. Woj also mentions “Los Angeles” as a potential Green suitor, though it’s unclear if he means the Lakers, the Clippers, or both — they each have an open spot on their 15-man roster.

Here’s more on the NBA’s buyout market:

Jazz general manager Justin Zanik told reporters on Friday that no decisions have been made yet on Russell Westbrook‘s future and that the veteran guard is open to the idea of playing for Utah to finish the season, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Westbrook is considered a strong candidate to be bought out.
Wojnarowski said today on NBA Today (YouTube link) that if Westbrook does become available, the Bulls are a team to watch as a potential frontrunner. Head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said today that the team plans to “look at” the buyout market, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The Clippers have also been linked to Westbrook, but Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times says the Clips aren’t expected to be overly active in the buyout market, adding that insiders around the league are skeptical about Westbrook landing with L.A.
The Magic and Patrick Beverley are working on a contract buyout, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Magic said on Thursday that they weren’t requiring Beverley to report to the team, so that news comes as no surprise.
Big man Serge Ibaka, who will be waived by Indiana, has some interest in joining the Heat, but it’s unclear if that interest is mutual, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
The Sixers and Grizzlies will take decidedly different approaches to the buyout market. Sixers executive Daryl Morey said today that moving under the tax line at the trade deadline sets up the team to potentially pursue “multiple” targets on the buyout market, per Kyle Neuback of PhillyVoice.com. Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, on the other hand, said he doesn’t envision his team looking at the buyout market, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Lakers, Nuggets, Magic, Clippers Roll Three Trade Agreements Into Single Deal

February 9th, 2023 at 5:35pm CST by Luke Adams

5:35pm: The four-team trade is now official, according to a press release from the Magic.

4:46pm: The Lakers, Nuggets, Magic, and Clippers will combine three separately reported trade agreements into a single four-team trade, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).

As Price explains, the Patrick Beverley/Mohamed Bamba swap between the Lakers and Magic, the deal sending Bones Hyland from the Nuggets to the Clippers, and the Nuggets’ acquisition of Thomas Bryant from the Lakers are the trades affected. The new-look deal is as follows:

Lakers to acquire Bamba, Davon Reed, the Clippers’ 2024 second-round pick, and the Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick.
Magic to acquire Beverley, the Nuggets’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash.
Clippers to acquire Hyland.
Nuggets to acquire Bryant.

The original terms of the trades called for the Clippers to send their 2024 and 2025 second-round picks to Denver for Hyland, with the Nuggets sending their own 2025, 2026, and 2029 second-rounders to the Lakers for Bryant and the Lakers sending an unspecified second-round pick to the Magic in the Beverley/Bamba swap.

Under the new terms of the deal, the two Clippers picks will be rerouted from the Nuggets (for Hyland) to the Lakers (for Bryant). Denver will keep its 2025, 2028, and 2029 second-rounders. The third pick the Nuggets are sending out for Bryant is now Denver’s 2024 second-rounder — it will be flipped from the Lakers to the Magic for Bamba.

The Magic won’t require Beverley to report to the team, according to Price, which is a strong signal they intend to buy him out or simply waive him.

Buyout Rumors: Love, Ross, Beverley, Sixers

February 9th, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman doesn’t expect to have buyout talks with veteran big man Kevin Love, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Love has an expiring $28.9MM contract and was recently removed from coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation after Dean Wade returned from injury. Love hasn’t played at all since logging 12 minutes in a January 24 game.

Love is the last link to the Cleveland teams that made the NBA Finals in four straight seasons, and he can serve as a mentor to a Cavs roster with little playoff experience.

There’s more news on the buyout market:

Magic swingman Terrence Ross is a potential buyout candidate to keep an eye on, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Ross is making 38.1% of his three-pointers this season and would appeal to teams in need of another shooter.
Patrick Beverley was an emotional leader for the Timberwolves last season, but Minnesota doesn’t plan to pursue him if he agrees to a buyout, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). The 34-year-old guard was traded today from the Lakers to the Magic, who aren’t expected to keep him.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com speculates about which veteran buyout candidates might be targets for the Sixers.
As we relayed in earlier stories, buyouts are considered likely for Reggie Jackson (Hornets), John Wall (Rockets), and Russell Westbrook (Jazz).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Lakers To Send Beverley To Magic For Bamba

February 9th, 2023 at 1:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will acquire center Mohamed Bamba from the Magic in exchange for veteran guard Patrick Beverley, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Orlando will also receive a second-round draft pick and cash in the deal, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Bamba will take the place of Thomas Bryant, who was traded to Denver earlier today, alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in L.A.’s frontcourt. Bamba signed a new two-year deal with Orlando over the summer, so he’s under contract for one more season at $10.3MM.

Through 40 games this season with the Magic, the 24-year-old averaged 7.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 1.0 BPG on .495/.398/.686 shooting. After starting 69 of his 71 games in ’21/22 and averaging 25.7 minutes per contest, Bamba saw his role reduced in ’22/23, only receiving six spot starts and 17.0 minutes per game.

Moving off Bamba creates a more clear-cut rotation for Orlando and picking up a second-round pick helps somewhat, but it’s hard to say that his tenure with the Magic was anything but a disappointment. He was selected sixth overall back in 2018, ahead of players like Collin Sexton, Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr., Kevin Huerter and Robert Williams, among others.

Bamba is currently serving a suspension as part of his role in an altercation with the Wolves, so he will be ineligible to play for two more games.

As Reynolds notes, the 34-year-old Beverley is unlikely to remain with the Magic, who have a slew of young guards. He’s making $13MM in the final year of his contract.

Beverley will have suitors if he’s bought out or waived by Orlando. He isn’t the defensive player he once was, but he plays hard and with a lot of energy, so contenders will be interested in his services.

In addition to saving a significant amount of money in luxury tax payments with the trade, the Lakers continue to add younger players. They had their own backcourt logjam to deal with, and moving Beverley helps in that regard as well, though he was arguably the team’s best perimeter defender (which, frankly, isn’t saying much given the team’s lack of talent on that end — the Lakers are 20th in the league in defensive rating).

Adding Bamba’s $10.3MM salary for ’23/24 is further evidence that the Lakers are unlikely to operate as an under-the-cap team in the offseason. However, his deal is non-guaranteed, so they could still go that route by waiving or renouncing the cap holds for all of the players they acquired ahead of the deadline (Bamba, Davon Reed, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell). Only Vanderbilt has guaranteed money next season, and it’s a very small ($300K) partial guarantee.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Trade Rumors: Irving, Lakers, Walker, Rozier, Mavs, More

February 3rd, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Many around the league believe Kyrie Irving‘s preferred landing spot is the Lakers, according to reports from Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports and Marc Stein at Substack, among others.

Count Lakers legend Magic Johnson, formerly the team’s president of basketball operations, as a supporter of acquiring Irving.

“Personally, I’d love to see Kyrie in the purple and gold,” he said (via Twitter).

Irving, of course, won a championship with LeBron James while the two were on the Cavaliers in 2015/16. James also acknowledged Irving’s trade request, cryptically tweeting out an eye emoji and a crown.

However, the Nets are expected to be a buyer at the deadline, which could complicate matters, Stein notes. It’s hard to imagine getting equal value for Irving considering the market for him is reportedly pretty thin.

The Lakers do indeed have interest in Irving, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The likely framework would be Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in exchange for Irving and Joe Harris, per Buha’s sources.

L.A. would push to lottery-protect at least one of those picks, according to Buha, who suggests a third team might have to be involved, depending on Brooklyn’s goals. The Lakers don’t have interest in trading Austin Reaves or Max Christie in a potential Irving package, sources tell Buha.

Interestingly, Lonnie Walker and Patrick Beverley could be involved in an Irving deal or in another trade in order to upgrade the rotation, Buha reports. Beverley’s inclusion is no surprise, but this is the first time this season I’ve seen Walker’s name involved in trade rumors.

Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Lakers have reportedly had preliminary talks with the Jazz regarding Westbrook, but they remain interested in Hornets guard Terry Rozier, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Executives with knowledge of Dallas’ plans tell Goodwill that the Mavericks would definitely take Irving, the question is at what cost. Head coach Jason Kidd is a proponent of acquiring the star point guard, according to Fischer’s sources. Dallas has “confidence in Kidd’s coaching ability to connect with Irving,” Stein writes.
There isn’t universal agreement within the Mavericks‘ organization about adding Irving, however. Some front office members have concerns about Irving’s long-term fit with Luka Doncic, according to sources Tim Cato of The Athletic spoke to. The concern is centered on how they’d mesh in the locker room, as they have “drastically different off-court personas.”
According to Stein, the Nets are believed to be interested Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith in a potential Irving deal, but the Mavericks “would surely insist” on trying to shed the contract of either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Davis Bertans. Dinwiddie played for the Nets from 2016-2021, so they’re very familiar with him as a person and player.
The Mavericks are also interested in Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, as “they’re desperate and determined” to get help for Doncic, says Goodwill.

Trade Candidate Watch: Veteran Guards

January 29th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Rory Maher

Leading up to the February 9 trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA. We’re continuing today with a handful of veteran guards.

D’Angelo Russell, Timberwolves

2022/23: $31.4MM

2023/24: UFA

Like many players on Minnesota’s roster, Russell had a slow start to the season, averaging 14.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 6.7 APG and 1.3 SPG on a sub-optimal .425/.318/.759 shooting line (53.1 true shooting percentage) through the end of November (22 games, 31.3 MPG).

However, he has been on fire ever since, averaging 20.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.9 APG and 1.0 SPG on .496/.441/.931 shooting (65.7 TS%) over his past 27 games (34.4 MPG).

Overall, he is averaging 17.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.2 APG and 1.1 SPG. He’s posting career-best shooting splits from all over the court, including 54.2% on twos, 39.1% on threes (46.6% from the field), and 87.1% from the free throw line, for a career-high (by far) 60.5 TS%.

Part of the reason he’s had so much success scoring lately is because the Wolves been using him more off the ball – he’s shooting 39.3% on catch-and-shoot threes, per NBA.com. It will be difficult for the Wolves to replace the former All-Star’s production, as they rank just 18^th in 3PT%, and he has been the team’s second-leading scorer with Karl-Anthony Towns injured.

That’s not to say he’s a perfect player by any means, as he has always been a below-average defender and rebounder who can frustrate with lack of effort. His decision-making can also be questionable at times, which is why he’s best utilized as more of a combo guard than a traditional point.

Russell, who turns 27 next month, is not making it an easy decision for the Wolves to move him in his contract year. They have been winning lately, and he’s had a big role in that. Do they want to pay him in free agency if they don’t extend him, especially after last year’s poor playoff performance?

Mike Conley, Jazz

2022/23: $22.7MM

2023/24: $24.4MM ($14.3MM guaranteed)

Conley, on the other hand, is more of a traditional pass-first floor general, with an elite 4.73-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. At 35 years old, he is on the downside of his career, but the Jazz have been better (+2.0 net rating) when he’s on the court, going 21-19 when he plays and 5-7 without him.

While he isn’t scoring much this season (10.3 PPG), Conley is dishing out a career-high 7.6 APG, and his 36.6% mark from deep is above league average. He’s fallen off a little more on the other end – Conley used to be one of the better point-of-attack defenders in the league, but isn’t as quick as he once was.

The big thing with Conley isn’t whether he provides an immediate positive impact (he does), it’s more about paying a small, aging point guard $24.4MM next season. His large partial guarantee makes it impractical to waive him, because whichever team he’s on would still be on the hook for a substantial amount.

Patrick Beverley, Lakers

2022/23: $13MM

2023/24: UFA

As is the case with Russell, it’s been a tale of two halves for Beverley. Through 20 games (26.9 MPG), he was averaging just 4.5 PPG on a miserable .298/.234/.760 shooting slash line.

Over the past 21 games (26.7 MPG), that has completely flipped, as he’s averaging 8.2 PPG on an excellent .473/.434/.875 shooting line. He’s up to 34.7% from deep on the season, which isn’t great, but it’s respectable (his career mark is 37.6%).

Beverley’s fit with the Lakers has been a little more awkward than anticipated, but it’s probably not a coincidence that he’s been playing some of his best basketball while two other guards (Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker) have been injured (Walker just returned on Saturday against Boston). That’s more a product of poor roster construction than anything against the players individually.

The 34-year-old is a natural trade candidate because he’s the only player on the roster who makes more than $7MM and less than $37MM, plus his deal expires at the end of the season. Beverley’s improved play of late makes him more than just a salary-matching piece – the Lakers will need a legitimate upgrade if they move him, even if it almost seems inevitable.

Seth Curry, Nets

2022/23: $8.5MM

2023/24: UFA

Fun fact: Curry is the NBA’s active leader with a career mark of 43.9% from three-point range, good for third-best all-time. In ’22/23, he’s shooting 43.8% from deep.

Curry, who turns 33 this summer, is an impending free agent with an affordable expiring contract. He got off to a slow start following offseason ankle surgery, but he is a very good offensive player due to his elite shooting (he’s also great on mid-range pull-ups).

The problem is he’s only 6’2” and is definitely more of a two guard than a lead ball-handler. He has always been a negative defensively.

Curry would provide value on a lot of teams – the main issue is the Nets have multiple small guards who can shoot and struggle defensively, making his skill set a little redundant. Adding frontcourt size and depth seems like it should be a priority.

Note: This list isn’t meant to be comprehensive, just a brief overview. There are a number of other guards that have been in the rumor mill, including Kyle Lowry (though he seems unlikely to be traded), Russell Westbrook (ditto), Bones Hyland, Derrick Rose, R.J. Hampton, Grayson Allen and Gary Harris, among others.