When Malik Beasley became available, a lot of Los Angeles Lakers fans immediately jolted to plea for Rob Pelinka and his front office to make that call. The fact there have been no rumors regarding a push should tell everyone all they need to know about the probability of it happening.
Jovan Buha told Lakers fans to temper their expectations about a potential reunion with Beasley. Pelinka would need a willing taker like the Brooklyn Nets to swallow salary and clear up player spots. The host of Buha's Block was clear about the chances of that happening.
Buha said, "I would not say zero percent. There are very few things that I will confidently say zero percent. ... I would say a low percent chance, because the Lakers have had the opportunity to a salary dump earlier in the summer and they chose not to."
The Lakers reporter also pointed to how 'risk aversive' the front office has been during the past few summers, and how they do not like attaching assets for the sake of offloading. Buha thought everything that Pelinka has done this summer is signaling a 'double down' on this current group.
Malik Beasley’s Lakers comeback rumors end before they could truly begin
The 14-man roster the Lakers have now is the one that should be expected to start the 2025-26 NBA regular season. It is certainly not impossible that a perfect opportunity will present itself and Los Angeles can capitalize on that moment.
However, Buha pointed out something very important in his assessment of the situation as well. Players are overpriced during the offseason.
At a time when the optimism fills the air, and a lot of teams will fancy themselves a contender or playoff threat, the price of doing business will be higher. The Lakers do not have a lot in their asset pool to enter those conversations, unless absolutely necessary.
The Lakers reporter also pointed out how quickly things can change when teams are already 30 or 40 games into the season and many of those franchise who considered themselves dangerous are no longer convinced in their upside. That is when players can be had for less than their premium.
January to February should be the window for the Lakers to find opportunity and have their big swing at a major upgrade, if it is necessary. Until then, fans certainly will not be blamed for photoshopping players into purple and gold. However, that will not bring up the likelihood of the move.