2019 NBA free agency: 5 potential landing spots for Patrick Beverley
By Simon Smith
5. Los Angeles Lakers
A move to the crosstown Los Angeles Lakers would certainly be a blow to the Clippers, but not completely unexpected.
Having now cleared at least $32 million in cap space with follow-up moves following the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade, the Lakers now have a number of options to consider.
Naturally, their first priority would be to land a marquee free agent such as Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson with their newfound cap space. However, should their ultimate plans not come to fruition, filling the rest of the roster with high-quality role players such as Beverley would make a ton of sense.
On a recent episode of the Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective podcast, Kevin Pelton of ESPN outlined his views of who the Lakers should target:
"“So that $12-15 [million range] is probably either Patrick Beverley or Danny Green, I think they would be my top two targets if I were the Lakers.”"
https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1102977072421572609
With starting point guard Lonzo Ball departing as part of the Davis deal, Beverley would provide a terrific replacement. His willingness and ability to play off the ball would allow LeBron James to take the primary ball-handling responsibilities, leaving Beverley and others the prime opportunity to feast on open looks.
So while he’s not at the top of the their free agent wish list, Beverley nonetheless would provide a terrific option for the Lakers moving forward.