The Sixers have agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract with notoriously pesky veteran guard Patrick Beverley, a source confirmed Saturday afternoon to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Beverley's podcast broke the news of his deal and PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck first reported the terms.
Beverley has ties to both Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and new head coach Nick Nurse. Morey signed Beverley to the Rockets in 2013 and the frequently chattering Chicago native ended up playing his first 291 NBA games with Houston. He also played three games for Nurse's 2012-13 Rio Grande Valley Vipers squad that won the D League championship.
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Beverley, who will turn 35 years old next month, is known for his irritating, high-pressure, turnover-forcing defense, a style that aligns with the Raptors teams Nurse coached before joining the Sixers. Historically, Beverley has also been a strong rebounder for his position.
He played 22 games in the second half of last season with the Bulls and had a down shooting stretch, hitting just 30.9 percent of his three-point shots. However, Beverley has usually been better than that from long range; his career percentage is 37.3.
While Beverley has typically been a starter, he'll presumably be asked to play a bench role for the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, De'Anthony Melton and Jaden Springer are the Sixers' guards under contract at the moment, though the team is exploring Harden trades. Shake Milton reportedly agreed to join the Timberwolves on Friday night.
Perhaps Beverley will also serve as a mentor to Springer, a 20-year-old guard with promising defensive traits. Like P.J. Tucker, Beverley is considered an intense, vocal leader whose impact stats don't fully capture.
