Pistons Reportedly Targeted Notable NBA Veteran Before Shocking Move

The Detroit Pistons reportedly had their eyes on Patrick Beverley.

Dec 13, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles and is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley (22) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Late last week, NBA veteran Patrick Beverley made it known he was considering a potential move beyond the NBA. The 36-year-old guard had one-year deals in the NBA available to him.

According to Sportal’s Christos Tsaltas, the Detroit Pistons were one of two teams showing interest in Beverley. The Houston Rockets were the other organization.

Ultimately, Beverley will move on from the NBA, but retirement isn’t near. Instead, Beverley is signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

Playing outside of the United States is nothing foreign to Beverley. After he was selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft, Beverley played overseas in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. It wasn’t until 2012 that Beverley entered the NBA as a member of the Rockets.

Since 2012, Beverley suited up for seven teams. The first nine seasons of his career were spent with the Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2021, Beverley played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. That would be the final season he spent an entire run on one team.

In 2022-2023, Beverley split time with the LA Lakers and the Chicago Bulls. Last year, he started the season off with the Philadelphia 76ers before finishing off with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Beverley could’ve been the ideal leader for Detroit’s second unit in 2024-2025. In his run with the Bucks, Beverley produced six points, four rebounds, and three assists per game. He knocked down 36 percent of his threes. Defensively, Beverley averaged nearly one steal and one block per game.

A young and rebuilding Pistons team could use all of the veteran leadership it can get. While the Pistons acquired multiple valuable veterans this offseason, it seems a veteran’s minimum contract wasn’t enough to lure the two-way standout in. Instead, the Chicago-born guard will head to Israel.