Report gives the Milwaukee Bucks' trade for Pat Beverley a 'B'

It was a solid move for the Bucks.

© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

As the saying goes, "beggars can't be choosers." With an evident lack of trade chips, the Milwaukee Bucks got the best they could from the market in veteran guard Patrick Beverley, who's expected to bolster a perimeter defense that lacks both effort and tenacity—virtues that the 35-year-old has in spades.

Though the trade doesn't move the needle much in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks are better for it. That said, Bleacher Report has graded this move a "B."

Pat Beverley for Cam Payne and a 2027 second-round pick

The Bucks didn't have many movable parts at the trade deadline, with Cam Payne, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton being identified as the only potential trade chips. Ultimately, Milwaukee chose to part with Payne, a player they signed last offseason who hasn't lived up to expectations of being an off-the-bench sparkplug.

"We tend to over-romanticize distant second-round picks, but Milwaukee has so few movable assets that everything matters, including this selection. And yet, this is largely fine," Dan Favale of Bleacher Report wrote.

"Beverley is 35 and no longer All-Defense material. But he still defends. Sometimes, the effort is in vain—purely try-hard stuff. Other times, it's performative, chaotic energy disguised as effort."

Dame and Pat Bev are officially teammates 👀 pic.twitter.com/5DHSNgZOil

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2024

Subtle upgrade

Beverley is far from his heydays wearing the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers uniforms. However, his most valuable trait is that he cares. He plays with passion and grit, which can be contagious for a team like the Bucks, who want to make another run at an NBA championship.

"Overall, though, he is an upgrade for the Bucks on the perimeter when it comes to guarding 1s and 2s. Even his empty-effort nights deepen an otherwise sparse reserve rotation. And if he starts taking and making more spot-up threes again, this could turn into one of those stealthy-impactful moves you actually feel in the playoffs," Favale added.

Some fun history between Dame and PatBev lol pic.twitter.com/r0Nr2AuA5q

— Frank Madden (@fmaddenNBA) February 8, 2024

The Milwaukee Bucks acquire feisty guard Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline