Houston's season has barely ended and the rumor mill has already started up regarding restricted free agent point guard Patrick Beverley:
Beverley was asked if he is talking to teammates/ players from other teams about next year. He said "yeah, Chandler calls me every day."
— Jenny Dial Creech (@jennydialcreech) May 29, 2015
However, if you're a fan of Beverley to the Mavs (for the record, I am), don't get your hopes up just yet:
I wouldn't take Chandler Parsons' "recruiting" of his buddy Pat Beverley too seriously. Mavs unlikely to spend much on PG this summer.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 30, 2015
Because the Rondo experiment blew up spectacularly in the Mavs' collective faces, they have a hole in the starting point guard spot and few resources to fill it. Patrick Beverley is probably the best point guard available this offseason, but he won't be cheap. And Houston has some pretty good incentive to match any offers Beverley gets, because their only other options are Pablo Prigioni (38-year-old role player) and Nick Johnson (rookie who played in only 28 games last season, mostly at shooting guard).
Beverly is perhaps most known for being an irritant, which is great if he's on your team and annoying as hell if he isn't. He has started for Houston for two seasons, averaging 10 points, around 3 assists, and 3-4 rebounds per game as a starter. He isn't a fantastic offensive player, but he is capable, with a career 36 percent three point average and a career effective field goal percentage of 50 percent. He isn't going to hurt you on offense, but his value really comes on the defensive end. He is a high-quality perimeter defender and plays defense with energy, persistence, and a certain (for lack of a better term) assholery that everyone should secretly want in their best defenders.
Beverley suffered a fractured wrist that kept him out of the playoffs, but he was reportedly close to returning during the Western Conference Finals and should be perfectly healthy next season.
Fit with the Mavericks
If Monta Ellis is the starting shooting guard for the Mavericks next season, Beverley is the perfect fit next to him. Beverley is a solid three-point shooter, doesn't dominate the ball, and (most importantly) is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. From a basketball standpoint, this is a no brainer for Dallas. If Dallas can re-sign Tyson Chandler and Al-Farouq Aminu while bringing Beverley on board, that is a solid foundation for a quality defensive team.
If Monta doesn't return to Dallas, Beverley is still the best free agency option at point guard (unless Goran Dragic actually decides to leave Miami). Unless Dallas is comfortable going with point guard by committee and investing big in a shooting guard like Jimmy Butler or Khris Middleton, Beverley makes a lot of sense for the Mavs regardless of what Monta does.
The only way I see Houston letting Beverley go is if they feel they have a legitimate shot at nabbing their long-sought-after third star this offseason -- for example, Kevin Love or LaMarcus Aldridge. Houston can't really invest big in Beverley if they are throwing a max contract at one of those guys.
If Dallas isn't willing to spend on point guard, this is all a null point. Beverley is going to be pricey if you want to steal him from Houston. And someone is going to make an offer on him. To me, he makes too much sense for Dallas to not at least make an offer. Plus it would be so much fun to have Cuban vs. Morey, part two (or three...how many are we on now?).
Additional Reading
Beverley thinks that he is the best on-ball defender in the NBA.
James Harden wants a star-level upgrade at point guard this offseason.