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The Orlando Magic have waived veteran point guard Patrick Beverley shortly after acquiring him from the LA Lakers at Thursday’s trade deadline. Beverley will doubtless have plenty of suitors following his departure.
In other news, the Golden State Warriors have opted to go through with their trade for guard Gary Payton II, despite his abdominal injury.
On that note, here’s the latest news from around the NBA as of Feb. 13, 2023.
Orlando Magic waive Patrick Beverley
The Orlando Magic have waived Patrick Beverley, according to team president Jeff Weltman. Beverley was acquired from the LA Lakers at Thursday’s trade deadline in a four-team deal that involved Denver and the LA Clippers. In addition to Beverley, the Magic also acquired cash considerations and a future second-round draft pick from the Nuggets in the trade.
Beverley, 34, is averaging 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.9 steals per game on 40.2% shooting through 45 games. He did not play a single game with the Magic.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Beverley will have his fair share of suitors once he clears waivers:
"The Orlando Magic and guard Patrick Beverley are working through a contract buyout that clears the way for Beverley to choose among interested suitors, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium."
As to who exactly will be in for Beverley, that is a matter of some debate.
Warriors complete Gary Payton II trade despite failed physical
The Golden State Warriors have decided to proceed with the four-team trade that will land them Gary Payton II, according to The Athletic’s Sham Charania. This comes despite the news that Payton failed his physical and could be out for up to three months with an abdominal injury.
The Warriors were given a chance to back out of the deal, which would have kept Payton with the Portland Trail Blazers. The trade was originally agreed upon on Thursday just ahead of the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Golden State had until 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday to make its final decision.
The Warriors opted to let the trade go through while still filing a separate complaint with the NBA. The Warriors’ complaint alleges that the Trail Blazers deliberately withheld information regarding Payton’s injury. The NBA is reportedly set to investigate the Warriors’ complaint, which could lead to a fine or loss of draft picks for Portland.
Payton signed a three-year, $26 million deal with the Blazers in the offseason, following his role off the bench for the Warriors’ 2022 title team. However, he missed the first 35 games of the season after undergoing abdominal surgery in the offseason. Payton played in a total of just 15 games for the Blazers, averaging 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 58.5% shooting.
The four-team deal also involves former No. 2 pick James Wiseman going to Detroit and forward Saddiq Bey going to Atlanta. Meanwhile, Portland will receive Kevin Knox and five second-round picks.
James Harden not surprised Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving requested trades
Former Brooklyn Nets star James Harden isn’t surprised that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were both traded last week. Harden himself only played 80 total games for the Nets after requesting a trade to Brooklyn in 2021. Harden then requested another trade out of Brooklyn last season and was subsequently dealt to Philadelphia.
According to Harden, his trade request was due to the dysfunction he experienced within the Nets organization. As such, he understands why Durant and Irving may have wanted out of Brooklyn.
“I didn’t just ask to leave for no reason,” Harden said.
“There was just a lot of dysfunction — clearly. There was a lot of internal things that I’m not going to ever just say or put in the media or anything, and that was one of the reasons why I chose to make my decision,” Harden continued.
Harden then discussed how the Durant and Irving trades offered him a sense of validation after some accused him of being a quitter.
“But now, fast forward to today, I don’t look like the crazy one. I don’t look like the guy, or the quitter or whatever the media want to call me. I knew what was going on and I just decided I’m not built for this. I don’t want to deal with that. I want to play basketball and have fun and enjoy doing it."
Harden also addressed the disappointment surrounding Brooklyn’s former big three composed of him, Durant and Irving. The star trio only played 16 games together despite championship expectations.
“There’s a lot of possibilities of what could’ve happened, but it’s part of life. Move on, and I’m sure everybody’s in a better place, a good place."
Zion Williamson suffers setback, will miss multiple weeks after All-Star break
New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson has experienced another injury setback. Williamson has aggravated his injured right hamstring, extending his timeline to return to “multiple weeks past the All-Star break,” according to Pelicans vice president David Griffin. Williamson has been out since Jan. 2.
Griffin noted that Williamson had been participating in 3-on-3 drills when the injury setback took place. He then went on to explain how frustrated Williamson is feeling.
“It’s fair to say not terribly well because he was really diligent in his rehab. Unfortunately, this is an injury that has a very high incidence of recurrence. It’s nothing he did wrong to bring this about.
"It’s an injury that’s tricky and hard to navigate. I think you’ve seen other players around the league have those same re-incidences. It’s not unique."
Williamson is averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 60.8% shooting through 29 games.
The Pelicans (29-28, seventh in the West) are 17-12 with Williamson and 12-16 without him this season.
Terrence Ross to sign with Suns, Reggie Jackson to sign with Nuggets
Two of this season’s top buyout targets are reportedly off the market.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Phoenix Suns have agreed to a deal with veteran wing Terrence Ross. This comes after Ross was recently bought out by Orlando.
Ross will likely play a key role off the bench for the Suns, who lack depth following their blockbuster acquisition of Kevin Durant last week. Ross, aged 32, is averaging 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 3-pointers per game while shooting 43.1% and 38.1% from deep through 42 games. Phoenix sits at 31-27 and fifth in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Shams Charania has reported that the Denver Nuggets have agreed to a deal with veteran point guard Reggie Jackson. Jackson was recently bought out by Charlotte after the Hornets acquired him from the LA Clippers at the trade deadline.
Jackson, 32, will likely be the Nuggets’ primary ball handler off the bench. Jackson is averaging 10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 3-pointers per game while shooting 41.8% and 35.0% from three through 52 games. The Nuggets sit at 39-18 and first in the West.
Guess the Lakers players!
