Despite a sour end to his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks, guard Patrick Beverley hopes to return this summer. On the most recent episode of his podcast, The Pat Bev Podcast, the impending free agent said he would like to stay with the Bucks.
“I want to stay with Milwaukee. I want to see what goes here, but you know, I also played well enough in the playoffs to get a little bump, you know? That’s the business side of it. So whatever happens with that happens.”
After starting the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, the team traded him to the Bucks ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. With Milwaukee, Beverley appeared in 26 games and started eight of them. In those games, he averaged 6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Additionally, Beverley stepped up for the Bucks in the playoffs. After the Bucks went down in their first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers 3-1, star guard Damian Lillard missed Game 5 due to injury. In his place, Beverley recorded a 13-point, 12-assists double-double. Furthermore, he recorded two blocks and a steal in the win. In six total games against the Pacers in the first round, Beverley averaged 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.
Near the end of the Bucks’ Game 6 elimination loss, Beverley had an altercation with fans in the crowd and aggressively threw a basketball at them. Furthermore, Beverley had “an inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability” after the game. The NBA handed Beverley a four-game suspension due to his actions.
Milwaukee Bucks Free Agent ‘Wants to Stay’ With the Team
Patrick Beverley’s Bucks Teammates Enjoyed Playing With Him
Throughout his 11-year NBA career, Beverley has developed a reputation as a tough and pesky player. Lillard, who had altercations with Beverley in the past, talked about the difference between playing against him versus playing with him.
“As an opponent, you hate him when you’re playing against him, but on your team, You’d probably love to have someone like that. He brings edge to the team… You gotta have some type of belief, toughness, edge. He brings that to our team and we didn’t have a lot of that.”…
Additionally, star Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about how much he and the team “love” having Beverley on the team.
“He’s one of those guys that — sorry for my language — that you say, ‘he’s an a-hole,’” Antetokounmpo laughed as he told ClutchPoints. “But when he plays on your team, like, ‘that’s my a-hole.’ You know? And I love him. We love playing with him. He’s a leader, he knows how to play the game. He’s a winner.”
It seems clear there is a mutual admiration between Beverley and his Bucks teammates. Whether that will impact his free agency decision remains unclear, however.
The Last Word on Patrick Beverley and the Milwaukee Bucks
In his short time in Milwaukee, it seems Beverley left an impact on and off the court. The soon-to-be 36-year-old still has some quality basketball left in the tank. Whether it is with the Bucks or another team, Beverley can still contribute to a contending basketball team.
