Lakers acquire Patrick Beverley from Jazz for Talen Horton-Tucker, Stanley Johnson: report

Patrick Beverley is returning to Los Angeles, reportedly being traded from the Utah Jazz to the Lakers, according to ESPN. 

The Lakers will send forward Talen Horton-Tucker and guard Stanley Johnson to Utah in exchange for the pesky guard. 

Beverley played the 2021-2022 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 9.2 points, 4.1 rounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He was part of a Timberwolves squad that made the playoffs for just the second time in 18 seasons. 

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Beverley was traded to the Jazz in the offseason as part of the return package for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert

He returns to LA after spending four seasons with the Clippers from 2017-2021. Beverley helped the organization bridge the Chris Paul-Blake Griffin and Kawhi Leonard-Paul George eras. He’s well known as a top defender in the NBA as well as an all-time irritant. 

He’ll be paired with Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, with whom he shares a long history. 

In 2013, Beverley went for a steal as a member of the Houston Rockets, colliding with Westbrook’s knee and injuring him in the process. Last season, Beverley taunted Westbrook during a Timberwolves win over the Lakers in March. 

Now, the two will be teammates as the Lakers try to bounce back after a disappointing season. 

Horton-Tucker was selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, averaging 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 131 games in LA. 

“I feel like every situation that I’ve been in is almost like a learning experience, and being on the ball, off the ball is just an experience that you need,” Horton-Tucker said after the season, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously I felt better with the ball in my hands, and I felt I had success with that, but learning to play with the stars is the most important thing they wanted me to do coming in, so that’s it.”

The Lakers recently signed LeBron James to a two-year, $97.1 million extension, with a player option for the 2024-2025 season.