The Los Angeles Lakers need shooting. Malik Beasley is now available. The door is now wide open once again for teams to make a move, and few need his skillset more than the Lakers.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Beasley has officially been cleared in the federal gambling investigation that put his free agency on pause. His attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schafter, confirmed he is not a target and will not face charges, removing the one cloud that had held up contract talks across the league.
Malik Beasley just became a no brainer for the Lakers
This should be an absolute no-brainer for the Lakers to go after him; however, there is a catch to making a reunion happen. Due to cap restrictions, the Lakers are not even able to offer a minimum deal right now. That would be the case until Jan. 18, unless they clear space via consolidation trade.
Given the state of Beasley’s market (cooler after months of silence) and the Lakers’ need for floor spacers who can play off-ball, the fit is there if they can make the math work.
Beasley is 28 years old and coming off one of the best seasons of his career with the Detroit Pistons. He played all 82 games, averaging 16.3 points, and shot 41.6 percent from three-point range, good enough to finish second in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
That is what you call high-efficiency and high-availability production. For the Lakers, who ranked middle-of-the-pack in three-point shooting last year, that kind of floor spacing is exactly what is missing.
Outside of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and the occasional hot night from LeBron James, Los Angeles has lacked consistent perimeter threats.
Yes, Beasley’s last run with the Lakers was not spectacular; he shot just 35.3 percent from beyond the arc in 26 games and had very limited playoff impact. But the version of Beasley we saw this past season with Detroit was sharper and a lot more disciplined.
His former deal with the Pistons, a reported 3-year, $42 million extension, fell apart due to the false allegations. Now that he is cleared, those numbers likely will not return with the market dried up, opening a window for a contender to strike.
At the end of the day, the Lakers need better shooting, and Beasley is a shooter. The only thing in the way now is timing and roster mechanics, but if they can work that out, this could be one of the sneakiest moves of the offseason.