Trade Patrick Beverley and Thomas Bryant, Lakers complete the NBA Trade Deadline 2023 transfer window
Hours before the NBA Trade Deadline closed, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled the strings for one final trade with the Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic.
According to reputable journalist Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers' high-performance striker Thomas Bryant will go to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for bigman Devon Reed and 3 second-round picks (in 2025, 2026 and 2029).
In place of Bryant at the Lakers will be Mo Bamba, the Orlando Magic striker in exchange for defender Patrick Beverley, a 2024 second-round pick and cash. Details are as follows:
Arriving at the Orlando Magic, Patrick Beverley was asked not to present to the team. This means that there is a high possibility that he will be liquidated his contract and become a free agent.
Meanwhile, Thomas Bryant will head to the Denver Nuggets to become the backup bigman for MVP Nikola Jokic. Bryant is in extremely good form with the Lakers, showing a value far beyond his $1.9 million salary this season.
ESPN reporter said that after Anthony Davis returned, Bryant's minutes of play have decreased quite a lot, although he played very well before. This led bigman born in 1997 to suggest to the team's leadership that he wanted to move to another team.
This last-minute deal completed the transfer period that many experts considered quite successful for the Los Angeles Lakers. They parted ways with Kendrick Nunn, Russell Westbrook, Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano Anderson and Patrick Beverley. In addition, there are several picks, including the first round pick in 2027.
In return, LeBron James and Anthony Davis welcomed a host of new teammates including Mo Bamba, Devon Reed, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and former All-Star defender D'Angelo Russell.
It is expected that all rookies of the yellow and purple jersey team will debut together in the next match, where the Los Angeles Lakers face the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
