Biggest Winners & Losers in Jazz Trading Patrick Beverley to Lakers
We finally have closure on the Patrick Beverley front after he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers this week. Patrick's time with the Utah Jazz was short-lived after arriving via the Gobert trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and will now be playing for the Lakers for the 2022-23 season.
The domino effect of the trade will mean new opportunities for some Jazz players, and bad news for others. Who stands to benefit the most from the Beverley trade? And who was hurt?
Let's dive into the biggest winners and losers of the Beverley trade.
Winner(s): Jared Butler | Leandro Bolmaro
Loser: Stanley Johnson
Winner: LeBron James
Loser: Russell Westbrook
Winner: Patrick Beverley
Beverley summed it up with his first tweet after the trade. “Woke up a Laker!!! It’s on!!!”
The outspoken point guard is getting out of a major rebuild, and is going to play in games that matter. Whether the Lakers will have enough firepower to win a championship remains to be seen, but Beverley playing for a team that may be starting from scratch wasn’t ideal for a player that’s in the twilight of his career.
Jazz executive Danny Ainge isn’t done yet, and we’ll know for certain what direction Utah is headed once the Mitchell domino falls.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.