Pat Beverley sees ‘very high chance’ of joining James Harden in Houston
With Houston having approximately $60 million in salary cap space entering the 2023 offseason, a potential reunion between James Harden and the Rockets has been rumored for many months.
Could that also lead to a reunion between Harden, the Rockets, and veteran guard Pat Beverley — who started alongside Harden in the backcourt from 2013 through 2016? As a stout defender, Beverley often took on the toughest perimeter assignment, thereby allowing Harden to concentrate more on the offensive end of the court.
According to Beverley himself, that reunion seems possible. Here’s what he said on his own show, The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone:
Rone: Do you really think that James Harden is going to go back to Houston, and is there any chance of you reuniting with him back in Houston?
Beverley: Very highly… very high chance. That was one of my decisions when I got traded from the Lakers. Houston was one of my… you know, but they told me “Pat, we don’t need you right now. You might not play, we need you to mentor young guys, blah blah blah.” I still wanted to play.
Beverley went on to refer to Ime Udoka, recently hired by the Rockets, as a great coach.
Beverley, a 6-foot-2 guard, was traded from Los Angeles to the Magic in February before being subsequently bought out of the final year of his contract, owing to Orlando’s status as a clear rebuilding team. Upon entering free agency, he opted to sign with Chicago.
Now 34 years old, Beverley averaged 6.2 points (33.5% on 3-pointers), 3.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 27.1 minutes last season. His primary value was on the defensive side of the court, as usual, and that could make him a candidate for Houston’s room exception — which would allow a starting salary of approximately $7.6 million. That would allow the Rockets to use their cap space elsewhere.
The complete podcast episode can be viewed below.
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Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire