The NBA trade deadline has just ended, and there have been some interesting moves around the league. One particular trade that caught everyone’s eye was Patrick Beverley‘s move to the Milwaukee Bucks. The defensive guard who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers before the start of the season is now going to join their Eastern Conference rivals. However, the fascinating aspect of this trade is Beverley’s relationship with his new teammate – Damian Lillard.
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On January 22nd, 2023, Beverley was part of the Los Angeles Lakers when they faced the Damian Lillard-led Portland Trail Blazers. During the game, the two guards got into an altercation, and a lot of expletives were thrown. And now, they will be sharing the same locker room. Here is what was said during the game when Damian Lillard was on the free-throw line:
Patrick Beverley: “Soft a** n***a, you ain’t about none of that!”
Damian Lillard: “And I’ll beat your a**!”
The interaction between Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley did not stop there. After the game, the former Lakers player was asked about his battle with Dame, where he revealed that he was not happy with the way the reporter phrased his question. He said, “If he would have cooked me you would have said ‘I couldn’t guard him.’ But he misses a couple of shots, and it’s a ‘slow shooting night.’ ‘Good job on Dame’ sounds better.” The sound bite had Lillard responding to the post on X (Formerly Twitter).
Patrick Beverley is known to be a menace on the court, and it’s this aspect of his game that impresses most franchises. The Milwaukee Bucks will expect the same energy from the player to bolster their struggling defense. As far as the chemistry between Lillard and Beverley is concerned, they will be looking to put it behind them to focus on this championship run. However, only time will tell if they are actually able to do this or not.
Patrick Beverley’s trade to the Bucks
The Philadelphia 76ers have been struggling with injuries this season and looked pale without their superstar – Joel Embiid. The array of recent losses has forced them to make multiple changes to their roster on the trade deadline. In the above-mentioned trade involving Patrick Beverley, the 76ers received Cameron Payne and a 2027 second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks. With Payne being an offense-first guard and Beverley being a defensive player, it seems like a perfect exchange for the two rivals.
After hearing that he has been traded to the Bucks, Patrick Beverley posted a video on social media addressing his relationship with Lillard. He said, “I got to get my relationship right with Dame. Got to get my relationship right with Dame, it’s time to win a championship.” This is not the first time Beverley joined a teammate he had a feud with. When the player was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, he was in a similar situation with Russell Westbrook. However, the two players swiftly buried the animosity for their team. The Bucks faithful would be hoping for Beverley to do the same here.
