LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against Patrick Beverley #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 02, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers have brought in Patrick Beverley in a trade with the Utah Jazz, and now he is teammates with Russell Westbrook.
The Los Angeles Lakers were looking to find ways to improve their roster this offseason after failing to make it to the playoffs in the 2021-22 season. Gone is head coach Frank Vogel and coming in is Darvin Ham. Their biggest move of the offseason thus far was signing LeBron James to a contract extension. That was until now.
Late on Aug. 24, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Lakers have acquired guard Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Stanley Johnson is also heading to Utah.
Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook now teammates on Lakers: Best memes, tweets
This move is interesting, and fans of chaos in the NBA will love it. Beverley is now teammates with Russell Westbrook, who had beef with him throughout their careers. Of course, Twitter users fired off plenty of memes.
The two have a tense relationship, so to speak. Most notably, Westbrook criticized Beverley’s defense during the 2019-20 season, saying “he just running around, doing nothing.” Earlier this year, Beverley appeared on J.J. Redick’s “The Old Man and the Three” podcast, saying that Westbrook “damaged his career” for the aforementioned comments.
Going back to the trade, Beverley brings intensity to the Lakers roster. This past season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Beverley 9.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals through 58 games.
Beverley’s stay in Utah did not last long, and he is now on a Lakers team that is looking to make a return to NBA Finals.