Patrick Beverley did not make it through a full season with the Los Angeles Lakers after they acquired him in a trade last summer, but the veteran guard says it was his choice to part ways, not the team’s.
During this week’s episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” Beverley said he felt he should tell listeners “what really went down in LA.” While many people have said the Lakers dumped Beverley because he was not making significant enough contributions, the 34-year-old claims he actually requested a trade.
“To some people it could be, you know, Pat Bev got traded. In all reality, I didn’t like what was going on an (asked them to) find a better home for me,” Beverley said. “It wasn’t, ‘He ain’t good enough, let’s get rid of him.’ That s— was my decision. So you gotta think, I’m making a decision that was my decision and they’re honoring my request. At the same time, they’re honoring my request and now I’m sitting here without a home.”
You can hear more of Beverley’s comments below, but beware that the clip contains cursing:
Many people find that hard to believe. The Lakers traded Beverley to the Orlando Magic in exchange for center Mo Bamba. The 7-footer should help address L.A.’s need for frontcourt depth, but the move was also made at a time when the Lakers were revamping their backcourt. They also parted with Russell Westbrook and brought back D’Angelo Russell.
Speaking of Russell, Beverley seemed awfully excited to reunite with his former teammate. After the Lakers acquired Russell on Feb. 8, Beverley tweeted a photo of himself and Russell with the Minnesota Timberwolves and wrote “The gang is back.”
If Beverley had requested a trade, why would he be so excited about a player the Lakers acquired?
In any event, Beverley was bought out by the Magic and signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls. He later tried to explain what went wrong during his time in L.A.
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