The Chicago Bulls have agreed to a deal with Patrick Beverley to retain his services for the rest of this season. The Bulls will be waiving Tony Bradley to make space for their newest signing. The news was officially announced on Tuesday and according to Beverley, via his podcast, the choice came down to the Bulls or the Golden State Warriors.
“It was between Golden State and the Bulls… I figured I make a playoff push with the Bulls right now,” Beverley asserted. “The East kinda weak.”
Beverley is originally from Chicago and graduated from Marshall High School, so this will be a welcome homecoming for the guard.
Assessing The Fit
Beverley will be a tremendous disruption to the Bulls locker room, for better or for worse. The ten-year veteran will bring a vocal presence to the team and a reliable ball handler to initiate the offense. Beverley hovers around league average for three-point percentage. This can help a Bulls team ranking in the bottom half of the league in that area.
The former Razorback, on paper, is a better alternative to other buyout candidates like Russell Westbrook or John Wall who would only hinder the Bulls need for floor spacing. Beverley will be a nice fit next to Nikola Vučević which can expand pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop opportunities for the big man. Opposing teams will have to respect Beverley’s ability to hit from outside. This can open the floor up for Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan to have slashing lines to the rim or mid-range options.
Beverley’s most important impact will come on the defensive end. The Chicago native is a three-time NBA All-Defensive team member and easily ranks amongst the top perimeter defenders in the league. Beverley can be a defensive catalyst alongside another elite perimeter defender in Alex Caruso. Caruso and Beverley in certain rotations will cause havoc in the backcourt. The tandem would force opposing guards and wings to make poor decisions which could translate to transition opportunities for the offense.
The Downside
Beverley can be brought in to shake up a team’s chemistry as a difference-maker with his energy and passion. The hope would be that Beverley can reverse the general malaise of mediocrity and lethargic play that has been commonplace for the Bulls this year. The Bulls have not been closing games out and blowing massive leads all through the season. The absence of Lonzo Ball for this team has drastically affected the Bulls on both sides of the ball. Beverley is only a stop-gap for that issue.
Beverley’s locker room presence could be the only downside envisioned disrupting the Bulls in a negative way. Beverley’s teammates may not respond to his brash style of play and tenacity off the court. The Bulls clearly need a wakeup call immediately. Beverley may have to be the annoying pest to light a fire under this team.
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