Lakers Holding Onto Horton-Tucker Backfires After Trading For Patrick Beverley

The Los Angeles Lakers are swinging for the fences and acquired point guard Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz in a surprising deal.

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that both sides were in advanced talks to have Beverley join the Lakers in exchange for youngsters Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.

It is a curious trade to see happen from the Lakers' side since they believed so highly in Horton-Tucker's development ahead of the 2021-22 season only for them to move him an offseason later for Beverley.

At the height of the 2020-21 trade deadline, it was believed that the Lakers and the Toronto Raptors were closing in on a deal for Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry.

Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic reported then that the Lakers were very much willing to part ways with Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope plus some draft picks in order to get Lowry.

However, it soon emerged that including Horton-Tucker was going to be too much of an asking price for the Lakers.

"The same sources said that Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations, insisted that the price was too high for the 35-year-old Lowry and that he was not willing to trade Horton-Tucker, who has emerged as a valuable rotation player for the Lakers," the reported stated.

Trading for Beverley now when they could have gotten Lowry back then is a serious misstep on the part of the Lakers' front office since the return of Schroder and Caldwell-Pope, who left the team last season, would have been of a higher quality player than Beverley.

The trade also raises an interesting question about the dynamic in the locker room because of the heightened tensions between Russell Westbrook and the ever-vocal defender.

Westbrook himself has surely not forgotten about the meniscus tear in his knee that Beverley caused back in 2013.

The heat between the pair has not died down since then, and it will be upon LeBron James' shoulders once again to keep everyone together for most of this season.

While James continues to be an otherworldly talent at such an advanced age, giving him a headache to deal with in the form of Beverley teaming up with Westbrook will likely test his patience and his status as the locker room leader.

With the Arkansas product on their squad, the Lakers' miscues at the height of the 2020-21 trade deadline have come full circle and will be a storyline to watch this season.