The Chicago Bulls plan to sign veteran guard Patrick Beverley to a contract for the remainder of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Per Wojnarowski, the front office is hopeful that Beverley can bring some toughness to the team as they try to get back in the playoff picture.
In 45 games with the Lakers this season, all as a starter, Beverley averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists, while shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point land. His most memorable moments with the club include shoving Deandre Ayton in the back, which earned him a three-game suspension, and taking a camera from a courtside photographer to show the referees a foul on LeBron James in the closing seconds of regulation in the Lakers' loss to the Boston Celtics in January.
At the deadline, the Lakers traded Beverley and a second-round pick to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Mo Bamba. The Magic quickly waived Beverley, allowing him to become a free agent. Now, he's found a spot with his hometown Bulls, who will be his fourth team in the last three seasons.
Now 34 years old, Beverley is no longer an All-Defensive caliber player, but he works hard and is still capable of pestering opposing guards. His abilities on that side of the ball should help strengthen a Bulls team that has surprisingly been one of the best defenses in the league. Exiting the All-Star break, the Bulls are seventh in the league, with a 112.0 defensive rating.
Offense has actually been the bigger issue for the Bulls. They don't have a traditional point guard due to Lonzo Ball's continued injury problems, and they don't shoot it well from outside at all. As a result, they rank 22nd in assist rate (57.0) and 30th in 3-point attempts per game (28.8). Beverley is a solid playmaker and is shooting 39.6 percent from 3 since December, so he could help them in those departments.
But even if Beverley can give the Bulls a spark with his energy, it's hard to imagine that he'll make enough of a difference on a team that's spiraling out of control. They lost their last six games prior to the All-Star break and are now in 11th place in the Eastern Conference at 26-33, which puts them two games behind the 10th-place Toronto Raptors.
