The 2024-25 NBA season is shaping up to be a disappointing one for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite a promising start under head coach JJ Redick, the team’s performance has steadily declined, and now they are struggling to stay afloat in the Western Conference playoff race. With their trade decisions coming under increasing scrutiny, a former star of the franchise has pointed fingers at the fanbase, accusing them of playing a role in diminishing the value of the Lakers’ players.
“The Laker fans, the real ones, they know basketball because they’ve seen it a lot, they’ve been through it a lot,” Patrick Beverley said during an interview on The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone. “What they don’t understand is their effect on making their own team better. They talk so bad about their players that they actually decrease their value.”
Beverley’s comments came in the wake of a controversial trade between the Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, which saw Los Angeles acquire Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, while sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to New York.
Patrick emphasized the challenges the Lakers face in trade negotiations. “If you want to make a trade with the Lakers, ain’t nobody just giving you (expletive),” he stated. “Any trade you have has to be that somebody goes, ‘No, we want this, and we want this.’ Obviously because you’re the Lakers, no one’s trying to help the Los Angeles Lakers when it comes to trades, management-wise, or getting players that they want back.”
He further explained how opposing teams raise their expectations when dealing with the Lakers. “Okay cool, we know you guys want this guy? He’s a second-round pick to every other team, but to the Lakers, he’s two first-round picks, (expletive) it. No one’s trying to help the Lakers,” said the NBA All-Defensive First Teamer in 2017.
Patrick Beverley #21 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 30, 2023.
Beverley’s perspective
Beverley’s insights come from his extensive experience in the NBA and overseas. Although drafted by the Lakers in 2009, he only played for the team briefly during the 2022-23 season. His career includes stints with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwolves, as well as professional experience in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. This wide-ranging background gives Beverley a unique understanding of the NBA’s dynamics and the Lakers’ distinctive challenges.
The results of the Lakers’ recent trade
The early results of the Lakers’ latest trade appear mixed. In his debut with the team, Dorian Finney-Smith logged 20 minutes in a 122-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, contributing just two points, two assists, and two rebounds.
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NBA News: D'Angelo Russell breaks silence on getting traded from Lakers to Brooklyn Nets
Conversely, D’Angelo Russell made an immediate impact in his debut for the Brooklyn Nets. The 28-year-old guard shone in a 130-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors, scoring 22 points, dishing out eight assists, and grabbing two rebounds in just 26 minutes. In his second game, Russell was promoted to the starting lineup against the Milwaukee Bucks, signaling his importance to the Nets under head coach Jordi Fernandez.
