Patrick Beverley has agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran guard had spent the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers but landed in Minnesota after being traded initially to the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason. The Timberwolves swooped in and grabbed him from there, and the move has largely been a success.
The Timberwolves have been among the worst defensive teams in basketball in recent years. They ranked No. 28 a season ago. As of now, the Timberwolves rank 16th, and that is due in large part to the impact Beverley has had both on the floor and on their team culture.
“I think the biggest thing about Pat is that he just comes in and drives competition up,” Karl-Anthony Towns told CBS Sports in December. “I think when you drive competition up, everyone wants to get more fundamentally great, be more into a better stance, I think he just drives competition. He’s just one of those guys that raises up the morale and the energy of the group, of anyone he’s around. When Pat’s around we all feel great, even the older players. We love talking to him, when you have someone like him you love hearing the mind he has for the game of basketball.”
The 30-27 Timberwolves currently hold the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Should they survive the play-in round, they would reach the playoffs for just the second time since 2004. Beverley might not be much of a scorer and his shooting numbers might be down, but the Timberwolves view him as an essential part of their team culture, and this contract reflects that. Beverley would have become a free agent after the season without this extension, but now he’ll be back in Minnesota for at least a year.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
