Longtime NBA player Patrick Beverley is contemplating leaving Israeli Club Hapoel Tel Aviv due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel. Could the 36-year-old point guard return to the NBA this year?
Israel and Iran have been involved in a proxy conflict since 1985. But things have really heated up over the last year, particularly in the last few months.
As a result, Beverley on his podcast with Rone said that he is receiving pressure from his family, particularly from his Iranian girlfriend Manadana Bolourchi . However, he added that he is currently 50/50 whether to vacate Israel.
“I’m 50-50 [if I’ll stay here].This ain’t about the money. I’m rich as f**k. She’s richer than me. It’s not about money. It’s about who I want to make happy. “I’m in the middle. I’m trying to fulfill my promise of competing. It’s like I’m choosing the love of my life and my first love, basketball. I’m left a lot of days drained. It just put a lot of added pressure on my relationship.
I’m not gonna say she hit me with an ultimatum, but I’ve got some decisions to make. And when I say there’s a lot of pressure, I mean a lot of pressure from both of our families—my kids’ mom, her side. It’s very, very, very complicated right now.”
Patrick Beverley Receiving Pressure To Leave Israeli Club Hapoel Tel Aviv, A Return To The NBA A Possibility?
Beverley played 12 seasons, seeing action in 70 combined games with Philadelphia and Milwaukee, in the NBA before leaving for Hapoel Tel Aviv. The 6-2 guard said that he received a two-year, $4 million contract (assumming per season) from Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Beverley has played fairly well with Hapoel Tel Aviv, which has an 11-4 overall record, including a perfect 6-0 in the Israeli Super League. Hapoel Tel Aviv is also 5-4 in Group A of the Eurocup.
Beverley averages 11.2 points, making two 3-pointers a game and shooting splits of 43.6/39.4/89.7 in 13 games (all starts). He has compiled 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds,1.2 steals, and 2.1 turnovers. Additionally, he has nine double-figure scoring games and produced one double-double.
Despite saying that he has enjoyed his time with Hapoel Tel Aviv, this isn’t the first time talking about he has talked about leaving Israel. About three weeks ago following the departure of former NBA player Jonathan Motley, Beverley (on his podcast) said he had things to think about.
Would NBA Teams Have An Interest In Beverley If He Leaves Israel?
When announcing that he was signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv, Beverley said that he chose the Israeli club over NBA minimum deals. It was reported that Detroit and Houston were the teams that made the overture.
If teams were interest in signing Beverley prior to the season, someone will certainly have interested in him despite his advanced age and antics. Beverley is best known for his defensive ability and getting under the skin of opponents. He is also a solid ball-handler, facilator, and 3-point shooter.
While not the defender that he was during his earlier days — when he was consistently in the DPOY conversation (2013-2020) — Beverley was a plus-defender for the 76ers and Bucks a season ago. Beverley also hasn’t been as proficient as three-point shooter recently (37.2% career from deep), but he averages one trey over the last three seasons.
Knicks Would Appear To Benefit From Beverley’s Addition
The Pistons, Rockets, and New York Knicks immediately come to mind as teams that would be interested. Of the three teams, the Knicks appear to be most desperate to improve their backcourt as they have struggled on the defensive end.
The Knicks rank 24th in defensive rating this season. The Knicks are allowing opponents to make nearly 15 threes a game at a 37.9% clip, which is the fourth worst percentage defensively. Plus, that and that end of the court is not Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek, or Cam Payne‘s strength. Payne has been a disaster defensively throughout his career, but particularly this year.
Beyond those three teams, all of whom have an open roster spot, a few other teams could be enhanced by Beverley’s presence down the stretch. The question is would Cleveland, Boston or Golden State be interested as all three could use a veteran off the bench.
If Beverley does sign with NBA team, he will be forced to sit out the first four games after being active. Beverley was suspended by NBA for his actions during the during and after the final game of Milwaukee’s Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers.
