New Orleans Pelicans: Four trades that would send Lonzo Ball to the Clippers

New Orleans Pelicans: Do not settle for Patrick Beverley

One player that I have seen people bring up is Patrick Beverley and some of you might be wondering why I didn’t include him in my first trade scenario.

For what it’s worth, Beverley is a decent fit for the Pels. Stan Van Gundy could plug him into Ball’s role and he would probably do well while providing some veteran leadership to a young squad. Beverley is an important part of the Clippers’ team culture, but I don’t think they would loathe losing him.

Beverley is shooting 42 percent from three this year, albeit on fewer attempts than Ball, and his outside shot is reliable even if he isn’t known for his scoring. The steepest drop would be in terms of playmaking, but Van Gundy doesn’t count on his guards to create for others that much anyways. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are often tasked with that responsibility.

I just don’t think it makes sense for the New Orleans Pelicans to give Lonzo Ball up for Beverley. As a disclaimer, I enjoy Beverley’s play. His competitiveness and hard-nosed defense, while distressing to others, is endearing to me. There’s also the argument to be made that if you don’t trade Ball now, then you risk losing him for nothing in the summer.

That’s true, but I’m not convinced that Beverley is a relevant asset for the Pelicans. He is already 32-years-old and his intention going forward is clearly to win a ring. Being realistic, he’s not going to get that chance in New Orleans over the next two years of his contract. Trading for Beverley would likely ultimately mean rerouting him to another team at some point.

In this case, the Pelicans would then essentially trade Ball for nothing.