New Clippers guard Patrick Beverley asked Rockets for trade to seek bigger opportunity

Patrick Beverley is happy Houston sent him to a team where he could "thrive and be successful"

When the Rockets traded Patrick Beverley to the Clippers so they could acquire Chris Paul, it felt like a great move for both sides. The Rockets got a superstar point guard to pair with James Harden while Los Angeles got a strong starting caliber point guard in Beverley. However, the reason Beverley was moved goes beyond adding Paul.

Beverley went on the Woj Pod with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and revealed that he had actually requested a trade from the team himself. He wanted a bigger opportunity and likely knew that with Harden running the show in Houston that wasn't going to happen. Now, in Los Angeles, he'll have a chance to run more of the offense himself.

"I asked for it. I asked for a bigger opportunity, a bigger chance to display my skills on a high level. I was fortunate that the Rockets did really good with me and put me in a situation where I could thrive and be successful. They could have dumped me anywhere, but they did (me) right and I respect them a lot for it."

Beverley praised Houston for not only granting his request, but also putting him in the best possible situation to thrive. It helps that a chance to trade for Paul became available, but there are few better places he could have ended up than Los Angeles. They'll be looking for Beverley to take over running the offense in the backcourt, but he's already shown in Houston that he's willing to defer to others and that means plenty of touches for Blake Griffin. 

This also shines Houston in a very positive light. Players across the league notice when teams do their best to accommodate requests and It makes organizations like the Rockets a better free agency destination.