Free agent guard Patrick Beverley finalising deal with Chicago Bulls
After being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers and then waived by the Orlando Magic, free agent guard Patrick Beverley is finalising a deal with the Chicago Bulls; the story was first broken by ESPN on Monday night after his agent Kevin Bradbury confirmed the details
Tuesday 21 February 2023 15:25, UK
Free agent guard Patrick Beverley is finalising a deal with the Chicago Bulls.
His agent Kevin Bradbury broke the news to ESPN first on Monday evening and the 34-year-old followed up by tweeting "it's official" from his personal account.
The deal is likely to be completed as soon as Tuesday, with the Bulls expected to waive center Tony Bradley to make room for Beverley on the roster.
They were able to sign him after he was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Orlando Magic on the February 9 trade deadline.
The Magic waived Beverley on February 12 after reaching a buyout agreement, and he subsequently cleared waivers to become a free agent before his path aligned with the Bulls.
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His return will be a welcome one. He grew up in Chicago, attended John Marshall High School, and spent his days watching the team in their glory days. Now he gets to sign for the side that inspired him to start playing in his childhood.
The infatuation is mutual. The Bulls have been searching for a capable replacement guard ever since Lonzo Ball's injury problems worsened. The latest news coming from the camp details that the 25-year-old will not play for the rest of the season after struggling to manage persistent knee pain and two surgeries. Can Beverley replace him? The stats suggest so.
He has been averaging 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 45 starts for the Lakers this season. As well as that, he still remains a thorn in the side of opposing guards, and can be just as fruitful in a Bulls team that sits surprisingly seventh in the league for defensive ratings.
Beverley is also a solid playmaker and is shooting 39.6 per cent from 3 since December, so he could help them in those departments too.
These are all facets to consider ahead of April's play-in tournament, especially since the Bulls sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, and are only two games behind the Toronto Raptors who occupy the final play-in spot.
With him in the side, they will be able to perhaps break that six-game losing streak and establish a more stable run of form in the coming months, despite the injuries and roster concerns that continue to plague them,
Beverley made that much clear when he revealed that, in the end, his choice came down to the Bulls or the Warriors. At this point, we now know which team the 34-year-old would rather play for.
"It was between Golden State and the Bulls," Pat Bev said, via NBA Retweet.
The Warriors have been struggling throughout this season, and apparently, they wanted to add more depth to their backcourt. The defending champions needed to bring in some reinforcements, and it appears they had their sights set on Beverley.
The Windy City side, however, had the bigger pull in the end.
