Bucks News: Veteran Player Contemplates Israeli Club Transfer After Tough Free Agency

After 12 long seasons and 9 playoff appearances, the Bucks‘ Patrick Beverley has a big decision to make. From 2021, he has been with five different teams and he has not signed a multi-year contract since 2019. The Sixers started the 2023-24 season with Pat on their roster but later traded him to the Bucks. Through the 73 games, he averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and shot 33.7% from deep. The 2x All-Defensive Second Team star is now an unrestricted free agent and is searching for options to make his next move.

He had once even said in his podcast, “Obviously I want to stay with Milwaukee.” when asked what were his plans for next season. “I also played well enough in the playoffs to get a little bump,” he continued. “I love playing with Bobby, Dame, Greek, Khris. It was cool, it was great.” Well, something seems to have changed because the latest declaration by the vet won’t please the Bucks faithful.

Patrick Beverly is considering a permanent move abroad after an eventful season

Milwaukee might face challenges re-signing Beverly, if they want to, due to their salary cap situation. However, Beverley’s value and the relatively moderate veteran minimum contract could make him a feasible target. In a league where every roster decision can have a domino effect on the team’s success and future, the Bucks should prioritize re-signing Beverly because of his defensive skills, veteran leadership, and offensive contributions. By keeping Beverly, they can ensure that they have the physicality, experience, and depth.

However, Greek journalist Thanos Tsibos has reported that Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League is “seriously interested” in Beverly. If he were to go there, he would reunite with the head coach, Stefanos Dedas. During his tenure with Spartak St. Petersburg of the Russian Super League from 2011 to 12, Dedas was the assistant coach.

So, it would be a logical transition if he decides to head there. And notably, the 12-year veteran has recently announced his plans for the future on his pod. A viral tweet from his show’s social handle read, “DEVELOPING: @patbev21 is currently weighing his options between a NBA Vet Minimum contract and a HISTORIC contract in Europe 💰”.

The 2012 Euro Cup MVP still believes that he has a ton of basketball left in him. He said, “Any team I go to, I’m going to impact the team…If it’s an okay team, I can make them better. If it’s a good team, I can make them greater” in his podcast. Which brings us to the question of what his next move will be, given the recent unfortunate events in the playoffs.

Should the 12-year veteran leave the NBA on a grim note?

Getting into fights and altercations with fans and players is not a new concept for Patrick Beverly. In 2017, Beverly was fined $25,000 for getting into a verbal altercation with a fan during a playoff game. Over his career, he’s been penalized quite a few fines for using profanity, engaging in improper conduct with officials, and getting into on-court altercations with players. Skip to 2024, Beverly made highlights in the playoffs for all the wrong reasons. The NBA suspended him for “forcefully throwing a basketball multiple times at spectators and having an inappropriate interaction with a reporter during media availability.”

After the game, Patrick Beverly had another incident with a reporter. He told ESPN’s Malinda Adams “Have you subscribed to my pod? Sorry you can’t interview me then,” in his post-game media session, and ignored her!

“Patrick Beverley’s behavior towards ESPN producer Malinda Adams was unacceptable, unprofessional and failed to meet the standard that NBA players consistently meet in their interactions with the media,” NBA spokesperson Tim Frank said.

However, Beverly candidly apologized on his podcast, saying, “Unfortunate situation that should’ve never happened,” Beverley said. “What I did was bad, and that should have never happened. I have to be better and I will be better. That should have never happened, regardless of what was said…simple as that.

Any NBA team planning to sign the veteran will need to take note that he will face a 4-game suspension next season. Moreover, Beverly would likely see reduced playing time if he returned to the NBA. Given all these factors, do you think the 35-year-old should stay or move to Europe for one last stint?