In NBA trade news, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a trade for Utah guard Patrick Beverley. In return the Jazz will get guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson. So why would the Lakers and Jazz do this trade?
NBA Trade News – Lakers Trade for Patrick Beverley – Why for the Lakers?
The biggest reason is to upgrade the team to win now. Beverley at 34 years old, offers playoff experience. Even though he is only six foot one, he is a tenacious defender. He prides himself in getting into opposing players heads with his aggressive (borderline dirty) play. Also, he does not need the ball in his hands to be effective. He will play his role as a floor spacer and defender and won’t do too much. Even though his three point shooting was only 34.3 percent last year, he is a career 37.8 percent three point shooter. This is really a sight for sore eyes for Lebron James, as Beverley will create more room for Lebron to operate. This is a huge upgrade from THT who only shot 26.9 percent from three last year and Johnson who is a career 30 percent three point shooter.
Why for the Jazz?
In a word, potential. They see Talen Horton Tucker as a potential long term piece in their rebuild. He is only 21 years old and he has potential to be a very good player. However, he needs the ball in his hands so he can create for himself. And in some games where Lebron James wasn’t playing, he showed that. However, he was never going to get the ball too much as long as Lebron is on the Lakers. Also, he is not a spot up shooter. He needs to have the ball to be effective. In Utah, he will get his opportunity to have the ball and potentially make some strides and see if he can reach his potential. For the Jazz who are in a rebuild, it was a no brainer to trade a veteran role player for a promising young player who could turn out to be pretty good!
Conclusion
The Lakers are in a win now mode. They only have a couple years left with Lebron James and they need to have a competitive team around him. The future is of little concern for them. Are the Lakers done? Not by a long shot! They have one more issue to address and his name is Russell Westbrook. However, getting some serviceable players for him will be a challenge. They most likely will have to add multiple 1st round draft picks to sweeten the offer. However, doing so will pretty much mortgage their future for the next decade or so. However, you have Lebron James and his timetable is now. We’ll see what they will do next!
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