In the midst of free agency mayhem on Sunday, veteran point guard Patrick Beverley agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract with the LA Clippers. Considering Beverley excelled in 78 games with the Clippers during the 2018-19 season, it wasn’t a shock to see the defensive-minded guard staying “home” in Los Angeles but Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times brings word that Beverley shunned a more lucrative offer from the Sacramento Kings, citing the fact that the Clippers “allow (him) to be Pat.”
“My teammates brought me back of course, but it’s all the team,” Beverley indicated. “I got a bigger offer from Sacramento and I took $9 [million], $10 million less to come here…. It was the right decision. Of course, the human part of you wants to take as much money as you see, but all money isn’t good money. I did what was best for me and my family and I did what was best to stay on a winning team, and I feel like I made the right decision.”
Though it is unclear as to whether Beverley will be joined by Kawhi Leonard in the coming days, the 30-year-old is a fantastic complementary piece under virtually any circumstance. He is known for his intense defensive persona but Beverley can also act as a secondary initiator on the offensive end, with the ability to effectively space the floor to the tune of a 39.4 percent clip from three-point range over the last four seasons.
The Kings managed to spend big-time money on Dewayne Dedmon and Trevor Ariza, improving their roster from a veteran standpoint, and Sacramento eventually agreed on a substantial contract with point guard Cory Joseph. In the middle of it all, though, Beverley seemingly turned down more money from the Kings, harkening to days gone by when Sacramento was exclusively used as leverage for free agents to garner bigger deals elsewhere.
