What Patrick Beverley’s new deal means for the LA Clippers
Last night, the LA Clippers and Patrick Beverley came to an agreement on a three-year contract. What does that mean for the future of the team?
Day one of the NBA’s free agency period was a stressful one for fans of the LA Clippers. Not only did Kawhi Leonard make little progress on finding a new destination, but other top targets like Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Jimmy Butler all found new homes relatively early on.
It wasn’t until seven hours after the start time when the Clippers finally had some news show up, and fortunately for them, it was information they had been waiting for since LA’s postseason run came to a close.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers and Patrick Beverley had come to terms on a new three-year deal worth $40 million — a relatively good deal, considering how much money other point guards got on Sunday.
Outside of signing a star, retaining Beverley was arguably the most important move the Clippers had to make this summer. It’s always been a top priority, and seeing how important he was to this past season’s squad, it would have hurt to not bring him back.
Beverley didn’t post the flashy numbers that some would expect from a $40 million player, but that’s not what his game is about. There are no other six-foot-tall guards in the NBA that can pressure Durant the way Beverley did in the postseason, and very few at his size (if any) show the type of strength and hustle he does on a nightly basis. He’s a tank in a point guard’s body, and as long as you have him on your team, every game is going to be a fight.
There were some concerns that if the Clippers did re-sign Beverley, it wouldn’t be until later in the week, as players like Durant and Leonard would likely take priority. And by the time the latter half of the week came on, there was a fairly high chance that Beverley would have taken a more lucrative deal to play elsewhere — but now that it’s out of the way early, the Clippers can devote maximum time and energy into landing Leonard.
The two-way star didn’t make a decision on Sunday, let alone meet with any of the teams that he could end up playing for next season. It’s been reported that he’ll take his time to make his decision, which could ultimately end up hurting the Los Angeles Lakers. They wanted this deal to happen sooner rather than later, and now that it hasn’t, there are countless role players off the board that would have transformed the Lakers’ depth.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have gotten one of their main guys back, and are expected to have him help make the pitch to reel Leonard in.
Next. What Horford, Butler deals mean for the LA Clippers. dark
With the first day of free agency out of the way, the pressure is on both LA teams — and the Toronto Raptors — to convince the best player still available why he should join them. And with Beverley back on the Clippers, that should give them some slight momentum.