Kyrie Irving is not the only point guard who asked to be traded this offseason, and one of his counterparts has already been granted his wish.
In an appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast this week, Patrick Beverley revealed that he requested a trade from the Houston Rockets earlier in the summer. He ended up being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Chris Paul deal.
“I asked for it. I asked for a bigger opportunity, a bigger chance to display my skills on a high level,” Beverley said, as transcribed by Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk. “And I was fortunate that the Rockets did really good with me and put me in a situation where I can thrive and be successful. They could have really dumped me anywhere, but they did right, and I respect them a lot for it.”
For what it’s worth, it’s not as if Beverley’s trade request put the wheels in motion for the Paul deal. The Rockets almost certainly decided that they wanted to add CP3 before they agreed to grant Beverley his wish, but it’s nice that it worked out for all parties.
Beverley noted how former teammate James Harden was once a sixth man with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is now one of the NBA’s best players.
“It came a time in James’ career, when he went from sixth man to eventually being (an MVP candidate), that he wanted more,” Beverley added. “I’m not going to compare that to this. But it comes to a point in time, where I don’t want to live and regret saying what I could’ve, should’ve, would’ve done if I had the opportunity to at this age.”
Beverley is expected to be the Clippers’ new starting point guard, and he’s likely much happier in L.A. than he would have been with the other team that was interested in him. Known more for his hustle and gritty defense, the 29-year-old Beverley will now have a chance to prove that he can be a well-rounded NBA starter.
