Patrick Beverley found himself on the move again, this time landing with the Minnesota Timberwolves in another trade.
In this deal, the Timberwolves landed the nine-year veteran in exchange for former No. 6 overall draft pick Jarrett Culver and forward Juancho Hernangomez.
For Beverley, this signals his third team of the summer, coming from the Los Angeles Clippers after a brief pit stop with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Beverley Provides Minnesota With A Culture-Setter
The Timberwolves sport an intriguing young core of talent in last year’s rookie phenom Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
But what’s long been missing in Minnesota, gone since the days of Kevin Garnett, is a defensive identity.
By adding Beverley, the Timberwolves move closer to that.
Last season, Minnesota ranked 28th out of 30 teams in defensive rating.
During his nine-year career, Beverley earned three trips to the NBA’s All-Defensive team.
The 33-year-old averaged 7.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for the Clippers last season, and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range.
Beverley’s shooting ability adds to a Timberwolves team that struggled from three-point range last season.
Minnesota ranked 25th in three-point percentage, netting only 34.9 percent of attempts.
He’ll serve as a suitable backup for Russell and could play along side both Russell and Edwards.
The Timberwolves had been hoping a Marcus Smart extension would not happen in Boston, sources say, so as to be able to trade for Smart.
With Smart off the board, the Wolves turned to Patrick Beverley. At the end of the day, a player to help set a culture was a priority.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) August 17, 2021
This move, coupled with the trade of Ricky Rubio to the Cleveland Cavaliers, improved Minnesota’s roster.
The Timberwolves added another defensive-minded player in Taurean Prince in that trade.
Both Beverley and Price will provide plenty of floor spacing for Edwards, Russell, and Towns.
It helps, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted in his tweet, that Minnesota’s President of Basketball Operations, Gersson Rosas, is familiar with Beverley from their days with the Houston Rockets.
Beverley’s Value Extends Beyond The Court
To his credit, the 33-year-old seems excited to join the Timberwolves, something not every NBA player would say.
So happy about the trade. New start in Minnesota. Some young thirsty guys wanting to Win. #GloryToGod 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) August 18, 2021
The addition of Beverley brings the Timberwolves a playoff-tested, vocal veteran to guide their young core.
He’ll lead by example through his effort and energy each evening.
Beverley seems to relish in the underdog mentality, and brings that unchecked moxie with him to the floor.
And given his expiring contract, Beverley may prove to be a valuable trade chip should Minnesota need to use it next season.
In the mean time, this addition, and that of Prince, provides the Timberwolves with depth.
The two will join the rotation with Edwards, Russell, and Towns, as well as Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels, Jaylen Nowell, and Naz Reid.
With this move, Minnesota ultimately cut bait with a former lottery selection.
Culver, the No. 6 overall selection in 2019, struggled to start his NBA career.
He averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 34 games last season, underwhelming numbers considering his draft pedigree.
Culver shot just 40.6 percent from the field and 28.8 on three-pointers over two seasons with the Timberwolves.
Minnesota also moved off Hernangomez after blocking the forward’s attempt to play for Spain in this year’s Olympic Games.
Hernangomez suffered a dislocated shoulder during one of Spain’s scrimmages before the Tokyo Games, which ultimately led the Timberwolves to prevent the 6-foot-9 stretch-4 from representing his country.
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