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If Patrick Beverley needed to find more motivation to increase his intensity level on the court, Kevin Durant seems to have provided it for him.
After the Brooklyn Nets announced Durant has agreed to withdraw his trade request to remain with the club.
Durant responded to Beverly’s tweet with a new hashtag.
Kevin Durant @KDTrey5
Following Durant’s response, Beverly revealed that he was speaking publicly not just about the 12-time All-Star, but how things unfolded:
Patrick Beverly @patbev21
Damn gang I said I was talking about you. I’m talking about how it was done. Both sides should keep it private. But be carefulđź“ť https://t.co/5T9ITP2Ka2
Durant and Beverly are no strangers to each other on the court or online. After Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated Beverly and the Houston Rockets in five games in the 2012-13 season, they met once in the playoffs.
Beverly has drawn the ire of several NBA players after he criticized Chris Paul’s defense during an appearance on ESPN. Get up Following the Phoenix Suns’ Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals.
ESPN’s NBA @ESPNNBA
.@patbev21 says the Suns should have benched Chris Paul in place of DeAndre Ayton đź‘€
“They benched the wrong person. They should have benched Chris.”
Durant was one of the players who posted a Twitter reply to those comments.
Kevin Durant @KDTrey5
In response to one remark, “a role player who talks like an All-Star,” Durant said Added“These guys should stop”
Durant’s team has an 8-5 advantage over Beverly in 13 head-to-head matches. 12-time All-Star averaged In those contests, he recorded 29.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He’s also shooting 50.6% (3 to 39.3%) from the field.
They haven’t met since the Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-94 on January 18, 2019.
Beverley currently plays for the Utah Jazz, but could be an attractive trade piece at some point with a one-year, $13 million contract for 2022-23.
If the Jazz choose to stick with Beverly for the season, their first game against the Nets will be on January 20 at Vivint Arena. They will also play regulars at the Barclays Center in the final week of his season on 2 April.
