Golden State Warriors: 2 buyout candidates that could spark the team
Patrick Beverley
If it weren’t for injuries, I don’t think Patrick Beverley would be a target for the Dubs. However, this is not a healthy Warriors team at the moment (especially in the backcourt). Most importantly, Steph Curry is currently out indefinitely with a knee injury. We also don’t know when the previously mentioned Gary Payton II will be available (the most recent reports have stated that he could be out for at least a month).
Beverley started the season with the Lakers where he averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as the team’s starting point guard. He was traded at the deadline from the Lakers to the Magic for Mo Bamba as Los Angeles reshaped their roster. It was then reported very shortly afterward that Beverley and the Magic were working on a buyout. Several teams were quickly linked to Beverley, although there hasn’t been much concrete on his market yet.
While Beverley is not the 3-point shooter right now that he was with the Clippers or Rockets earlier in his career (34.5% 3P shooter the last two seasons, compared to 38.2% from 2012-2021) and he’s never been an elite offensive player, that’s not what the Warriors would be signing him for. His defense, energy, and toughness are what he brings. And if he finds that 3-point shooting touch, then he could be a guy that carves out a role for a healthy Warriors team.
Beverley might not be a 20-minute-per-game player for the Warriors come playoff time (assuming Steph and GPII return), but he is a guy that could help the team off the bench in the meantime as they battle in a loaded and tightly contested Western Conference.
Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson are the Warriors’ current starting backcourt, and then Donte DiVincenzo is currently slated as the 6th man. Moses Moody and Ty Jerome make up the rest of the backcourt rotation. Beverley would presumably compete with those two for minutes as the team’s fourth guard.
Beverley can also help the Warriors in that he is the one out of the current bench unit that would be the most adept at running the backup point guard duties. He can help run the second unit and provide Golden State with some tenacity while Draymond Green isn’t on the floor.