The Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a trade to acquire Utah Jazz guard Patrick Beverley, sources told ESPN on Wednesday night.
The deal, which will be completed Thursday morning, will send Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson to the Jazz, sources said.
Beverley returns to Los Angeles after spending 2017-21 as a Clipper, bringing with him a ferocity and well-placed defensive presence that new head coach Darwin Hamm is determined to implement on a defense that ranked 21st in the league last season .
Beverley, 34, was instrumental in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ return to the Western Conference playoffs last season before landing in Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert trade. Beverley was eager to join the Lakers in a trade, sources said, and was excited to learn of the impending deal.
Over the past five seasons, Beverley has held opponents to 41.9% shooting as the closest defender, second best among players who defend 2,000 snaps, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Beverley’s arrival on a $13 million expiring contract essentially leaves only LeBron James ($46.7 million) and Anthony Davis ($40.6 million) on the Lakers’ books in 2023-24, giving them significant cap space salaries to redo the roster around those two. NBA stars.
The Jazz acquire Horton-Tucker, 21, as the franchise heads toward a rebuild. Utah remains active in trade talks for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. Horton-Tucker averaged 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Lakers last season.
Johnson averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season.
