Three years after the Heat parted ways with their 2008 lottery pick, Michael Beasley is headed back to Miami. The Heat announced today (Twitter link) that Beasley has signed with the team, following his release from the Suns.
It won't cost the Heat anything to roll the dice on Beasley, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, who hears that the 24-year-old has agreed to a non-guaranteed, make-good contract. The source adds that the club considers the fall audition to be no-risk, and worth the gamble, according to Winderman.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported over the weekend that Miami was weighing the possibility of signing Beasley. Team sources shot down the rumor to multiple local beat reporters, but it appears that was a smoke-screen, or the club either reconsidered its stance.
The second overall pick in the 2008 draft, Beasley had the least productive year of his career in 2012/13, setting career-lows in PPG (10.1), RPG (3.8), and FG% (.405), among other categories. It also marked the fifth straight season that his PER has declined, from 17.2 in his rookie year to 10.8 in '12/13.
The general consensus among NBA fans and observers suggests Beasley still has plenty of talent, which could shine through if he can get his off-court issues under control. As Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com wrote earlier today at SBNation.com though, there hasn't been a whole lot of evidence recently to suggest that the Kansas State product can be an above-average NBA contributor. Perhaps reuniting with Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade in Miami will help Beasley to deliver on the promise he showed as a Wildcat.
The Heat currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, and have suggested there's a decent chance their regular-season roster won't include additional players. Still, Beasley becomes the fourth player the club will bring to camp on a non-guaranteed contract, so the team certainly figures to consider its options next month for those last two roster spots.