Failed Former Lakers Veteran Takes Massive Shot at Fans

The Los Angeles Lakers have won seven of their last ten, improved to 19-14 for the season, and moved up to sixth place in the Western Conference. The playoff race in the West is surely going to be a tough battle. Therefore, Lakers fans are desperately hoping for roster upgrades to increase their chances of a deep postseason run.

The first of those upgrades came last week when the Lakers traded for Dorian Finney-Smith from the Nets. That is a step in the right direction, but for Los Angeles to become a true championship contender, more moves are needed.

While Lakers fans are asking for more trades, one former player doesn't think that helps the organization. Patrick Beverley recently said on his podcast that Lakers fans are hurting their team when they press the front office for trades. The former Lakers guard said that the fans bad mouth their own players and reduce their value, making it hard for the team on the trade market.

"What they don’t understand is their effect on making their own team better. They talk so bad about their players that they actually decrease their value."

- Patrick Beverley

This is a ridiculous statement by the 36-year-old defensive specialist. The front offices don't make their decisions based on fan sentiment or what is being said on social media. If the Lakers don't get a good package in return for D'Angelo Russell, it's not because a Lakers fan talked negatively about him on X. It's more likely that it's because Russell is a flawed player who doesn't fit on a lot of teams with high aspirations.

The same goes for players like Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt who are on player-friendly deals that most teams around the league aren't particularly interested in.

Beverley spent the first part of the 2022-23 season with the Lakers before getting traded at the deadline. The Lakers went on to make the conference finals that season, so perhaps there is some bitterness there.

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