How can Patrick Beverley help the Los Angeles Lakers?
Breaking a dry spell of nearly two months in terms of NBA trades, dating to when Beverley went from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz as part of the historic package for Rudy Gobert, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night that the Jazz are expected to finalize a deal sending Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.
On Thursday, it became official.
After playing four seasons with the Lakers' fellow Crypto.com Arena tenants, the Clippers, Beverley has changed teams frequently the past two summers. He was dealt twice last summer before landing in Minnesota and will now have been part of Utah's roster for an extended period without ever actually representing the Jazz.
At 34, Beverley is at the tail end of his overachieving NBA career, but he showed with the Timberwolves last season that he can still make an impact on a playoff team as a starter. Let's take a look at how Beverley fits with the Lakers and what the Jazz are getting out of this swap, which does not include any draft picks.