Michael Beasley was officially released by the Suns yesterday after the two sides negotiated a buyout, meaning the 24-year-old forward will clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. He'll be able to sign with any NBA team at that point, and generally a player with his talent would have no trouble landing a new contract. However, Beasley's history of off-court issues raises questions about how much NBA interest he'll receive.
As Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details in his latest piece on Beasley, the former second overall pick was in a rehabilitation center in 2009, was arrested for marijuana possession in 2011, and was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession again this summer, resulting in the Suns citing "standards of personal and professional conduct" when they announced the move.
As his off-court troubles have persisted throughout his NBA career, Beasley's play on the court has declined. In each of the last two seasons, the Kansas State product has established career-lows in PPG, PER, and FG%, among other categories. And during the 2012/13 season, the Suns were a significantly worse team when Beasley was on the court (-11.4 points per 100 possessions) than when he wasn't (-4.5 points per 100 possessions), according to 82games.com.
So what do you think Beasley's future holds? Would you like to see your favorite team pick him up? If you were an NBA GM, and you could sign Beasley to an inexpensive contract, would you roll the dice, or does the risk outweigh the potential reward at this point?
It’s easy to say, but a perennial playoff team with a pretty strong core could probably afford to take a chance on him. If it doesn’t work out, hey, they’re still a perennial playoff team with a pretty strong core.
Its just a little bit of bud. I dont see what the big deal is. I hated Beasley when he was with the Heat, but I’d still give him a shot for multiple reasons. He is only 24 and he still is incredibly talented. That alone should be enough, but now you have the fact that the Suns bought him out, meaning it should be cheap to give him an opportunity.