Patrick Beverley may leave the LA Clippers this summer, which opens up a major hole at the backup point guard spot. Who could the Clippers target in the draft to fill this void?
Patrick Beverley quickly became a fan favorite in LA this season as his tenacity and drive were unmatched by anyone in the league.
Beverley went head-to-head with Kevin Durant and gave him a run for his money in the postseason and likely raised his stock in 2019 free agency with reports such as this one coming out of the woodwork as of late.
Sources tell me Patrick Beverley--a sensible FA target of the Bulls and Lakers--will be taking meetings with as many as 5 teams BEFORE meeting with the Clippers in 2 weeks. Clippers will be chasing max-type FAs, but Beverley won't necessarily wait on an offer from them, I'm told.
— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) June 17, 2019
Beverley could catch a decent payday this offseason, nearing $10-$15 million as a possible check he could be signing either with the Clippers or elsewhere.
The Clippers have to seriously consider looking at the draft to fill this void, maybe not right away, but quickly enough to where not having a valuable backup guard becomes a problem. With that said, here are some guards the Clippers could target in the 2019 NBA Draft this Thursday.
5. PG Carsen Edwards – Purdue
These players are put in order from my opinion on who would fit well with the Clippers and Edwards may be last, but he’s a solid last player to think about.
The Clippers currently have two second-round draft picks, meaning Edwards will likely be gone by the time that LA is on the clock.
The possibility of trading up is there for the front office and Edwards may be worth the risk despite his six foot frame and below average defensive ability. Even ESPN’s draft analysis compares Edwards to a current Clipper player.
"“Edwards has the type of athleticism and Lou Williams-esqe shot-making prowess the league covets. He’s an average defender at best and didn’t find the same pull-up success before breaking out in the tourney, hitting 36 percent of his off-the-dribble jumpers, according to Synergy Sports. NBA teams will have to weigh him shredding college defenses in the biggest setting of his career versus the fact that this was undoubtedly his absolute peak, something that can’t be expected on a nightly basis.”"
Edwards would be a solid scorer beside Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell off the bench and would likely see plenty of off-ball movement (something almost every player on this list would deal with) and 1-on-1 matchups with other scorers on the floor.
Edwards makes sense but he is likely unattainable as he is likely the fourth best PG behind Ja Morant, Darius Garland and Coby White.