Former Lakers, Clippers Guard Recalls Kings' Free Agency Offer

The Sacramento Kings offered ex-NBA player Patrick Beverley a lucrative deal in 2019 free agency.

Oct 14, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham speaks with Los Angeles Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley (21) while a Sacramento Kings player takes a free throw during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Former NBA point guard Patrick Beverley has taken his basketball career overseas after being one of the most tenacious and aggressive defenders and competitors in the league for years.

Beverley really evolved in the NBA while with the Los Angeles Clippers, but the 36-year-old guard reportedly almost left LA to join the Sacramento Kings.

Beverley took to the Pat Bev Podcast to tell fans a story about his 2019 free agency, claiming that he turned down an offer from the Kings to return to the Clippers for less money, but instead a crazy deal with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer:

"So I signed my deal with the Clippers, right?" Beverley continues, "I got like a three-year, $50 million [offer] from Sacramento. I'm like 'Nah, I'm cool,' like I want to stay Clippers. So I take the three-year, $40 million from the Clippers... and Steve Ballmer goes, 'With that, I'm gonna give you 94 basketball courts that you can choose to put all around LA.'"

Someone ask Steve Ballmer what’s good with the other 92 courts! pic.twitter.com/C5yr0HTL2o

— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) November 6, 2024

The moral of Beverley's story is that Ballmer only put two of the promised 94 courts around LA and Pat Bev wants him to put the other 92 down. But, more interestingly, Sacramento offered him such a lucrative contract.

In 2019 free agency, Beverley was coming off a 2018-19 season where he averaged 7.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on his way to earning ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Beverley had a successful career with seven different franchises but never wanted to put on a Kings jersey.

In that same free agency, the Kings gave Harrison Barnes a four-year, $85 million contract, Cory Joseph a three-year, $37 million deal, and DeWayne Dedmon $40 million for three years. While Barnes was a valiant role player in Sacramento, the Kings were seemingly just throwing money around in the 2019 offseason.

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