The Lakers and Jazz are finalizing a trade that would send guard Patrick Beverley to Los Angeles in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Sources tell Wojnarowski the deal is on track to be completed Thursday.
Beverley, 34, is a talented perimeter defender who can also be a positive contributor on offense. He helped the Timberwolves return to the playoffs last season, averaging 9.2 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game in 58 appearances (25.4 MPG). He’s also a 37.8% three-point shooter in 10 NBA seasons.
Beverley, who has an expiring $13 million contract, was traded from Minnesota to Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert blockbuster last month. However, he was always seen as a candidate to be turned into a new team, given that the Jazz are in retooling mode.
According to Wojnarowski, Beverley, who was in Los Angeles as a Clipper from 2017-21, was excited about joining the Lakers in a trade and was “thrilled” to learn of the deal between LA and Utah.
The Lakers had long been seen as a potential suitor for Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who was considered the team’s top trade target this offseason. However, once Kevin Durant withdrew his trade request and it became clear that Irving would likely remain in Brooklyn, Los Angeles made the move to acquire another point guard without having to include Russell Westbrook and draft compensation to the agreement
Johnson, who is under a minimum wage contract that expires in 2022/23, is an NBA official, so Horton-Tucker is the centerpiece of the package heading to Utah. The former second-round pick had an up-and-down 2021-22 season for the Lakers, averaging 10.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.7 APG in 60 games (25.2 MPG), but struggling to score efficiently, with a modest shooting line. of .416/.269/.800.
Horton-Tucker is still only 21 years old, so the Jazz presumably see the athletic wing as a player with untapped potential. He is under contract for $10.26 million in 2022/23, with an $11.02 million player option for the 2023/24 season.
Both the Lakers and Jazz are candidates to make additional deals before the season begins.
LA still has Westbrook and its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to dangle in trade discussions, and the idea of making a move for the Pacers duo of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner is even more intriguing now that the club has strengthened the his back track in agreeing to acquire Beverley. The Lakers currently have $34 million in cap space through the summer of 2023, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks ( Twitter link ), which will be a factor the team considers as it weighs additional transactions.
Meanwhile, in Utah, Donovan Mitchell remains a trade candidate, and the Jazz would likely also be open to discussing deals with veterans like Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Malik Beasley, Mike Conley and Rudy Gay.