One-Time Lakers Guard Looking to Make NBA Return

A former Los Angeles guard could be on the hunt for his next opportunity.

Apr 14, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Los Angeles Lakers logo on the shorts of forward LeBron James (23) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Patrick Beverley might not be thought of as a Los Angeles Laker when all is said and done, but a Los Angeles Laker he indeed once was, for a few months at the start of the 2022-23 season.

His biggest contribution to the Lakers was the way he balanced out the roster when he was dealt away from it. Though still a useful veteran 3-and-D presence (after he shook the rust off for a couple early games), he was one of several past-their-prime guards clogging up the club's then-mismatched roster. The expulsion of Beverley, Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn (plus bench frontcourt pieces Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant, and Juan Toscano-Anderson) in exchange for D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, helped guide Los Angeles to a strong season finish, a playoff berth and an eventual deep run. Beverley was flipped to the Orlando Magic for Bamba, but negotiated a buyout to sign on with his hometown Chicago Bulls.

Beverley most recently split his 2023-24 NBA season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. Rather than sign on with an NBA club for his 13th season in the league, he opted to ink a deal with Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv this year.

After some roster changes to the club, however, Beverley appears to be open to an NBA comeback. He unpacked his situation on his Barstool Sports show "The Pat Bev Podcast," during a conversation with co-host with Adam "Rone" Ferrone.

PB has a lot to think about and decisions to make 🙏 @patbev21 pic.twitter.com/J3yUrUyfmv

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

"This week has been kind of tough for us because our big man, Jonathan Motley, all of a sudden, my boy hit us with the pump fake, said he don't feel safe no more, leaves team," Beverley revealed. "Our leading scorer, the best big man in EuroCup, wants to go to a EuroLeague team in Serbia. So now we just out here with no big man, just like, 'Okay, where do we go from here?' So of course, now people ask me, 'Hey yo, Pat, what you gonna do?' Right, 'cause NBA teams call — they told me I can't say who — EuroLeague teams call, Real Madrid calls, a couple other teams out there to see, like, 'Okay, are you guys blowing it up, what's going on?"

Now facing a litany of intriguing options for his immediate future, Beverley explained his thinking going forward to Rone.

"I've been thinking a lot — what's the next move?" Beverley pondered. "What to do, what to not do. Do I go back to the NBA, do I not go to the NBA? If I got back to the NBA, do I turn my back on my teammates? That's not my style, I don't operate like that," Beverley noted. "So I have some decisions to make. And I'm gonnna make the right ones, like I always do."

In his 45 games for L.A., Beverley was used by then-head coach Darvin Ham as the club's starting shooting guard, despite being all of 6-foot-2. He averaged 6.4 points on .402/.348/.780 shooting splits, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 rebounds a night.

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