For a moment after he heard Paul George was headed to the Clippers, Pat Beverley wondered if he was being traded to Oklahoma City.

“I heard the news from Chandler Parsons,” Beverley said.

The two former Rockets were hanging out in Las Vegas this summer when Parsons told Beverley the Clippers had won the free-agent battle for Kawhi Leonard.

“I was like, ‘OK, cool. Awesome,’ ” Beverley said. “Then he said, ‘I think you just got Paul George, too. I bet they traded you to OKC.’ ”

Beverley laughed.

“I’m glad that’s not how it went down,” he said.

The Clippers did land the two superstars and Beverley will play alongside both as he enters his eighth season in the NBA. It’s been a long, winding road for the defensive specialist, but he’s loving every minute of it. And he credits the Rockets for their part in it.

“That’s the organization that gave me my chance,” he said. “This is where I started, where I really got my chance and I hope I am representing the city the right way.”

Most of Beverley’s family live in Houston — his mother, grandmother, aunt and his children. So he’s back in the city often.

This week, he spent time at The Gym in Humble where he held his annual youth basketball camp. As the final day wound down, Beverley, 31, stood on the sidelines of a crowded gym and watched one of the games that had reached overtime.

He and a few campers watched closely while the intensity grew. When a young girl nailed a midrange jumper and the game ended, Beverley led everyone on the sidelines in rushing on the court to celebrate.

“This is awesome,” he said. “It’s growing every year and it’s always a blast. I love seeing all these kids come out here to play and just have fun.”

Between being home with his family, watching his basketball camp thrive and signing a three-year $40 million deal with the Clippers, Beverley has a lot to be happy about. He was all smiles Thursday while high-fiving kids, signing autographs and jumping in to shoot with them at various stations on the courts.

He will have a little more time in Houston before work starts.

“I can’t wait to get started,” he said.

With the additions of Leonard and George, the Clippers became one of the NBA’s top teams. They share an arena with the Lakers, who boast LeBron James and Anthony Davis, making Los Angeles the basketball capital of the world.

“Yeah, it’s pretty wild,” Beverley said. “It’s definitely competitive.”

Not to be outdone, Beverley’s former team remade its power couple when it traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook to give James Harden a new backcourt star.

Westbrook and Beverley have had a public beef for years — Beverley is often blamed for a knee injury Westbook suffered six years ago in the playoffs — but Beverley had nothing but compliments for the guard Thursday. He called the trade for Westbrook a “stellar move” and seemed excited for his former team.

Everyone has questions about how Westbrook and Harden will look playing alongside each other, but Beverley sees the combo succeeding.

“I think it will work,” Beverley said. “I might sound crazy, but I think it will work. I think they respect each other on and off the basketball court and they are both really passionate about basketball. I think Russ can take some of the pressure off James and James can take some pressure of Russ. I think they can make it fit. I’m excited to see it. I know the city is excited.”

But Beverley’s excitement is playing them. He won’t say the Clippers are the best team in the Western Conference, but he will say he’s ready to work.

“I’ve never won a championship, but I know it takes hard work,” Beverley said. “We like to work, we want to win. There is no ego.”

For the first time in his career, Beverley is on a team full of defensive-minded stars. George and Leonard are known for their defense.

“I have a lot of work to keep up with them,” Beverley said.

The Clippers are largely considered the team to beat in the West. Beverley is chomping at the bit to prove they can win and bring a title to Los Angeles.

“The West is so good and it’s even,” he said. “It’s going to be tough. The games are going to be really good and competitive, It’s a great time for the NBA. I can’t wait to get going.”

jenny.creech@chron.com

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