How will Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley turn from foes to teammates?

On Aug. 24, a deal was finalized, sending Utah Jazz point guard, Patrick Beverley to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. Aside from All-Star center, Rudy Gobert getting traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the fiasco in Brooklyn between Kevin Durant and the Nets front office, this off-season lacked noteworthy trades until the Lakers pulled the trigger on acquiring Beverley. Bringing the former Clippers guard back to the city of angels in purple and gold.

Surprisingly, Beverley’s name has not been mentioned much in the days since the trade. Superstar LeBron James is also barely mentioned regarding his team’s new acquisition. The spotlight has mostly pointed towards Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook, who is coming off one of his worst seasons in the NBA.

In his first year in Los Angeles, the former MVP averaged under 20 pts (18.5) for the first time since 2009. His rebound and assist averages also went down from 11.5 to 7.4 and 11.7 to 7.1 respectively as the Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference.

On the other hand, Beverley helped the young Timberwolves beat his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, in the Play-In tournament, securing their first trip to the playoffs since 2018. After falling to Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in six games, Beverley was sent to Utah in the same deal that shipped Gobert to Minneapolis.

Whether or not the two will be sharing roles for the Lakers is still a mystery. However, due to their history, fans are beginning to question if they can even coexist.

Once bitter enemies, Beverley and Westbrook find themselves on the Lakers.

After missing the draft, starting his career in Europe, and getting waived by the Miami Heat, Beverley got his first chance in the NBA with the Houston Rockets during the 2012-13 season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Rockets met the Oklahoma City Thunder, then spearheaded by Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

In the second quarter of Game 2, Westbrook dribbled toward the bench and called for a timeout. However, an eager Beverley dove for the ball and in doing so, hit Westbrook’s legs. The All-Star hopped it off and continued to play, helping his team towards victory. But a few days later, it was revealed that he had torn his right meniscus in the collision. While the Thunder, who were favored to win the west that year, won the series in six games without Westbrook, their season ended against the Grizzlies in the second round.

After joining the Rockets, Beverley made it known that he was not messing around. He fought his way to the league and was willing to fight harder to stay in it. Aside from his ability to run the floor, Beverley immediately built a reputation as the NBA’s most annoying defensive presence — a trait that was highlighted by every team he’s been part of since.

Westbrook and Beverley run it back in the 2017 NBA Playoffs

About a year and three surgeries later, Westbrook met Beverley again in the second half of the 2013-14 season. And in a similar fashion, Beverley charged toward Westbrook once more. This time, Westbrook did not get hit, nor did he hobble away in pain and frustration. The two had to be separated by teammates as tempers flared on the hardwood.

This has since become routine whenever the two squared off. Beverley, whose tenacity has pushed the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant to frustration, saw success in defending Westbrook. On the other hand, Westbrook who won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2017 and became the first player to average a triple-double in two different seasons, also had incredible games against Beverley.

Beverley and the Rockets, led by James Harden, ended up beating Westbrook’s Thunder in the 2017 playoffs before he was traded to the Clippers.

On-court scuffles lead to off-court messaging.

Ironically, Beverley missed most of his first season with the Clippers due to a right meniscus injury, prolonging the interlude before their next meeting. The Thunder and Clippers met in October 2018 when Westbrook first saw Beverley with his new team. Westbrook scored a bucket on Beverley and proceeded to celebrate with the motion of rocking a baby. Beverley then returned the favor and celebrated the same way after scoring one of his own.

In the fourth quarter, Beverley once again dove towards Westbrook’s knee, and teammates stepped in between as a war of words began. A livid Westbrook continued to yell at the Clippers’ bench to the point where police officers stepped on the court to make sure that the situation did not escalate. Westbrook got the last laugh that evening as the Thunder were victorious on their home floor.

After the game, Beverley claimed no foul play by telling the media, “I went for a loose ball.” Westbrook later told the press, “it’s what you gotta do with little babies, put them to sleep” in regards to his celebration during the game. The battles would continue on the court, during interviews, and on social media. As Westbrook refuses to acknowledge Beverley’s defense, Beverley jumps on every chance to antagonize Westbrook.

https://twitter.com/patbev21/status/1491796902223876098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1491796902223876098%7Ctwgr%5E47263f3adf3975a910f22cd6134b825b86d1816e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportingnews.com%2Fus%2Fnba%2Fnews%2Frussell-westbrook-patrick-beverley-lakers%2Ftgo3scjryjmkpahstyrdn0ao

So what happens now that Westbrook and Beverley are both Lakers?

As of today, Westbrook and Beverley belong on the same roster. How the Lakers will handle the situation at hand is something fans are waiting to see. Some speculations of the Lakers’ trading Westbrook have surfaced. However, others believe that the Lakers brought Beverley on board to bring the best out of Westbrook.

Lakers star, LeBron James tweeted about his excitement for Westbrook in the upcoming season.

Whether or not that will be for the Lakers is to be determined.