The Los Angeles Lakers made a massive trade yesterday that saw them part with 21-year-old prospect Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson to acquire veteran 3-and-D point guard Patrick Beverley. While Beverley is a fit with what LA requires and how Darvin Ham envisions playing with the team, THT was a young prospect with a lot of room to grow despite what we had seen in his first 3 seasons.
The Lakers had given THT untouchable status last offseason, declining offers for him to players like Kyle Lowry. Instead of THT, players on similar contracts like Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were traded away, and THT retained his roster spot.
Skip Bayless was extremely critical of the Lakers making this move on Undisputed, talking about how Danny Ainge in Utah is celebrating because they got a 21-year-old NBA-ready prospect for the price of a 34-year-old that would have been bought out if not traded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te50-JAlZEc
“I believe that somewhere in Salt Lake City, Danny Ainge and Will Hardy are grinning. They are celebrating. They just pulled off trading a 34-year-old Patrick Beverley for a 21-year-old, THT. Remember THT on TNT 2 years ago? Last year, he had a 40-point night. I guarantee you, Danny Ainge and Will Hardy are thinking, ‘we just got a 21-year-old potential starter, if not a star, on the wing as we reload and rebuild in Utah’. I believe they think they just stole THT from you.”
There would have been interest from teams around the league to acquire Beverley via trade, considering his value never really necessitated a first-round pick. THT doesn’t fit the Lakers timeline, and LA is in a position to re-sign Beverley on a contract smaller than the $13 million he will make this season.
THT has shown flashes of great play, so this trade will definitely skew in the favor of Utah in the future. If the Lakers have a much improved season and manage to make a playoff run, this would have served the intention of the roster for this season which is to be in the playoff picture.
