Michael Beasley

Southeast Notes: Beasley, Hawks, Magic

The Wizards haven’t won a division since the 1978/79 season, but there’s a strong chance they’ll finish first in the Southeast this coming season. The Heat and Hornets are contenders, too, and the Hawks aren’t out of the question, either. It’s indicative of the parity in the Eastern Conference outside of the two Central Division heavies in Chicago and Cleveland. While we wait to see if Washington can finally break through, here are a few items of note from around the Southeast:

  • Michael Beasley definitely won’t return to the Heat for this coming season, agent Jared Karnes tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The team’s coaches didn’t fully trust Beasley, Jackson writes, who hears that concern about Beasley’s defense and maturity dissuaded Miami from re-signing him, even though the 25-year-old showed more maturity last season than in the past.
  • The origin of the racially charged comments that Hawks GM Danny Ferry repeated about Luol Deng and the identity of the person who wrote the report that Ferry read are still unknown, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, casting them as the next major revelations in the story.
  • The Magic hired Jay Hernandez as an assistant coach for player development, the team announced. It’s the first NBA gig for Hernandez, who had been running a basketball training service in New York after playing professionally overseas. He replaces assistant Luke Stuckey, who’s taking an assistant coaching job at Cameron University in Oklahoma, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).

And-Ones: Lakers, Hornets, CDR, Young, Mavs

Michael Beasley‘s second audition with the Lakers was part of a larger free agent workout today, writes Sam Amick of USA Today, who lists Dexter Pittman, Greg Stiemsma, Daniel Orton, Bobby Brown, Toney Douglas, Ben Hansbrough and Malcolm Lee as the other participants. As Amick points out, GM Mitch Kupchak has two roster spots to play with going into the 2014/15 season.

Here is what else is happening around the league on Wednesday evening:

Lakers Again Work Out Michael Beasley

Michael Beasley auditioned for the Lakers once more today, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The former No. 2 overall pick also reportedly worked out for the Lakers a few weeks ago, and the team apparently liked what it saw, so it seems as though Beasley continues to intrigue GM Mitch Kupchak and his staff.

Kennedy reported last month that several teams had expressed interest, though the Heat appear to be lukewarm on the idea of bringing him back to Miami, where he played last season and during the first two seasons of his tumultuous NBA career. The Suns made the unusual step of citing concerns about his character in their official release when they waived him as part of a buyout deal a year ago, but Beasley hasn’t seemed to stir any trouble since then. His talent is less of a question mark, and he was productive when he saw the floor last season, as he appears on the lists of the top scorers, rebounders and three-point shooters remaining on the market that I’ve compiled in the past two weeks.

The Lakers can only hand out the minimum salary, though that’s all Beasley made in Miami last season, when he stuck with the team for all of 2013/14 despite having signed a contract without any guaranteed salary. L.A. is carrying just 13 deals known to be guaranteed, so there’d be room to give Beasley a decent chance to make the opening-night roster.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Beasley, Ballmer

Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM expects plenty of suitors to pursue Eric Bledsoe next summer if he accepts the Suns one-year qualifying offer and aims for a max deal as a free agent. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Isaiah Thomas tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that while many found it puzzling he would join a loaded backcourt in Phoenix, the Suns‘ belief in his talent made it an easy decision to leave the Kings as a free agent. “I went on one visit, with the Phoenix Suns, and they just pulled out the red carpet for me and in the end I just felt wanted,” said Thomas. “I always felt like [Sacramento] didn’t appreciate me as much as they should. I’m not saying the fans [didn’t]–the fans loved me and the city of Sacramento loved me. But it’s a business. They felt like they could get somebody better and I don’t blame them; that’s on them, and it’s their loss.”
  • The Lakers like what they saw from Michael Beasley‘s workout with the team, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, but their abundance of forwards could motivate him to prioritize other options.
  • We learned earlier that the Lakers have signed their second-round pick Jordan Clarkson.
  • Mark Cuban said he thinks new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will bring positive energy to the league, telling ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s “The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley” that Ballmer will be good for the NBA (transcription via Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com). “I’ve known Steve for a long time, going back into my twenties, and he’s always been this way,” Cuban said. “So this isn’t Steve Ballmer getting hyped just for the Clippers. This is just the way he is. He’s going to be great for the league.

And-Ones: Barea, Bledsoe, Bonner, Beasley

The Cavs are probably better off for having lost LeBron James in 2010 than they would be if he had never gone to Miami since it gave them the chance to accumulate assets through rebuilding, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller argues. That helps explain why the Sixers, one of the other teams in the Kevin Love deal, are so aggressively stripping their roster, Ziller suggests. Still, Cleveland was remarkably lucky in the lottery, nabbing three No. 1 overall picks in four years, so it’s tough to say that another team can easily mimic the path of the Cavs. Here’s more from around the league:

  • The only players on the Wolves who are off-limits for a trade are the ones who just came aboard in the Love deal, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes within a chat with readers. J.J. Barea remains on the block after the Wolves failed to convince the Sixers to take him on in the Love trade, Zgoda also writes.
  • The Wolves like Eric Bledsoe quite a bit, but it’s tough to see a scenario in which they’d sign-and-trade for the Suns restricted free agent, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Phoenix reportedly made a last-ditch effort at a Bledsoe-for-Love swap, but Minnesota rejected that idea.
  • Backcourt mate Goran Dragic is hopeful that Bledsoe will be back with the Suns next season, as he tells Erildas Budraitis of RealGM.
  • Matt Bonner says there were several teams that inquired about him during his free agency this summer, but he let all of them know that he was waiting to see about a deal with the Spurs first, as he tells Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News. Bonner re-signed with the Spurs last month to a one-year deal for the minimum.
  • The Heat let Michael Beasley know they wouldn’t rule out re-signing him, but that’s standard practice for the team, which hasn’t made any offer to the forward, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Heat isn’t high on bringing him back for several reasons, Jackson hears.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Michael Beasley

As teams look to make high-upside, low-risk pickups around this time of year, they could do a whole lot worse than adding a former No. 2 overall pick.  Forward Michael Beasley remains on the open market and it certainly stands to reason that he could be had for a minimum salary deal.  There has been interest out there for the talented but troubled 25-year-old but at this moment it’s not clear where he might wind up.

The Lakers, who are one of several teams that are limited to offering the minimum salary, auditioned Beasley late last month.  It would seem to be a logical pairing for a Lakers team that could probably use a boost in talent after losing Pau Gasol to free agency and whiffing on their top targets, including Carmelo Anthony.  However, since the July 30th tryout, the Lakers have added a couple of players – ex-Michigan State point guard Keith Appling and former UNLV and UConn forward Roscoe Smith – on training camp deals, so it’s not clear if B-Easy is truly in the plans in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, a return to Heat could still be a possibility even though it appeared to be a longshot at one point given his limited role in the postseason.  When asked if Beasley could get a new deal in Miami, team president Pat Riley responded, “He’s still a consideration, absolutely.”  It’s not hard to see why, even though he fell out of favor in Miami’s rotation when it counted the most.  Beasley still averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game across 55 regular season appearances and his 16.8 PER, above the league average, was the second best of his six-year career.  However, the Heat recently added Shawne Williams, who would appear to be a replacement for Beasley off the bench. If Riley opened the door to a reunion on July 31st, the addition of Williams has closed it at least part of the way.

It’s hard to say where Beasley will end up since there are now roadblocks with the two clubs that have been publicly linked to him.  However, agent Jared Karnes maintained in late July that multiple teams aside from Miami have expressed interest, so there should be a place for him somewhere.

This is entirely speculative, but it’s conceivable that the Cavs, who are looking to add frontcourt depth, could be interested in Beasley.  The Cavs hosted Shawn Marion for a visit yesterday, but they’re not the only team looking to add him, so Beasley could be a Plan B if that doesn’t pan out.  One potential roadblock there could be LeBron James and his reported dissatisfaction with Beasley’s play and focus last season in Miami.  According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, James was furious with Beasley and his spacey antics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.  Still, there could be a fit if Beasley can convince Cavs management and the club’s star player that he’s ready to zero in a bit more on the court.

Heat Notes: LeBron, ‘Melo, 2016, Allen

Heat team president Pat Riley went after free agents this year with the idea that LeBron James would return to the team, and he sold potential signees on that notion, as he told reporters, including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Still, Riley said James didn’t answer frequent emails and texts that he sent in an effort to recruit him back to Miami, Jackson notes. That suggests that the only communication between the two took place when James met with Riley a few days before he made his decision to sign with the Cavs, as Jackson details. We rounded up several key passages from Riley’s address on Wednesday, and we’ll pass along other noteworthy tidbits here among the latest Heat-related news:

  • Riley called Leon Rose, the agent for Carmelo Anthony, after LeBron left, but, “We were a little bit late to that party,” Riley said, as Jackson writes in the same piece. Anthony had already finished meeting with other teams, and he made his decision to re-sign with the Knicks the day after LeBron made his choice.
  • The team will be focused on making a splash in free agency in 2016, Riley said, adding that it would have been the plan even if LeBron had remained, according to Jackson.
  • Riley said the Heat will keep Justin Hamilton through Friday, when his non-guaranteed contract becomes partially guaranteed for more than $400K, as Jackson notes.
  • Miami hasn’t given up hope of re-signing free agent Ray Allentweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. Riley said he’s remained in contact with Allen’s agent, Jim Tanner, Jackson writes.
  • Riley confirmed that Miami has spoken with Michael Beasley‘s people about re-signing with the team, Lieser tweets. “He’s still a consideration, absolutely,” Riley said. Beasley reportedly auditioned for the Lakers on Wednesday.
  • The team is also still thinking about re-signing Greg Oden, Riley added, as Jackson notes. Jackson reported last week that the Heat were non-committal about bringing back Beasley and Oden.
  • Guard Tyler Johnson impressed during a summer league stint with the Heat and is drawing interest from multiple NBA teams, a source tells Hoops Rumors.

Lakers Work Out Michael Beasley

The Lakers conducted a workout with free agent Michael Beasley today, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). The team is limited to paying the minimum salary, but that would probably be enough for the former No. 2 overall pick who’s slowly rebuilding a once-wayward career.

Beasley has reportedly been receiving interest from clubs around the league as the Heat have taken a lukewarm stance toward re-signing him. The interested teams apparently found him a mature and efficient addition for the Heat last season, though he wasn’t a part of Miami’s rotation in the postseason. He averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game across 55 regular season appearances. His 16.8 PER was the second best of his six-year career, demonstrating the efficiency that has him an object of desire.

The Jared Karnes client took a completely non-guaranteed deal to join the Heat last season, but he’s probably in line for a guaranteed contract this time around. Still, he’s unlikely to approach the three-year, $18MM contract he signed with Phoenix two years ago. Beasley and the Suns agreed to a buyout last summer.

And-Ones: Beasley, D-League, Dellavedova

Had Steve Mills not taken a front office job with the Knicks, he’d still be a leading candidate to take over the head of the NBA Player’s Association, writes Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Blog. The strong working relationship Mills has built with Phil Jackson seemingly makes it unlikely he’d consider bowing out from his job in New York to pursue an opportunity with the NBAPA, says Schlosser. Here’s a roundup from around the league:

  • Several teams have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). Front offices are intrigued by the efficiency and maturity that the former second-overall pick put on display with the Heat last season, hears Kennedy.
  • One potential fit for Beasley might be the Lakers, opines Kennedy, who notes that the forward is currently working out with Kevin Durant in Los Angeles (Twitter link).
  • Two rule changes are being discussed that would further push the D-League toward a future where one-to-one affiliate relationships exist for every NBA team, sources tell Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com. One of the potential changes would expand the amount of players cut from training camp a team could protect with assignment rights, and the other would eliminate the ability for D-League clubs to add players by tryout, tipping the scales further toward one-to-one roster building that more closely resembles a minor league system.
  • Pilato adds that the outcome of the Thunder‘s handling of Josh Huestis is a significant factor in whether the D-League, currently without a president, will be further pressed into a one-to-one structure.
  • Matthew Dellavedova’s minimum salary went from non-guaranteed to fully guaranteed for this season when the Cavs elected to keep him through Friday, according to the data that Mark Deeks of ShamSports compiled.
  • Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders looks at the few teams with the mid-level exception still at their disposal, and a handful of free agents that are hoping to be signed in that value range.

Charlie Adams and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Love, Knicks, Douglas-Roberts

The Knicks made a longshot trade offer for Kevin Love that the Wolves immediately turned down, reports Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. The offer was Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert, and Tim Hardaway Jr., a package well shy of the value Minnesota is looking to secure in any potential deal for Love. Stoudemire and Shumpert have apparently been on the block of late, but while Hardaway is reportedly “virtually untouchable,” New York’s shot in the dark at least shows its willingness to part with him for the right return. Here’s more from around the East:

  • A Wolves official disputes the notion that the Knicks ever made an offer for Love, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • Chris Douglas-Roberts is among the free agents who interest the Heat as they look for veteran wing players, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Agent Wallace Prather has reached out to the team about client MarShon Brooks, but it’s unclear whether the Heat have any interest in him. The Heat are among 11 teams limited to paying no more than the minimum salary to free agents from other clubs, as I noted earlier today.
  • Miami is remaining non-committal about bringing back free agents Michael Beasley and Greg Oden, as Jackson writes in the same piece. The agents for both veterans tell Jackson that the Heat have been in contact regarding their clients, but that they are receiving interest from other teams as well.
  • The Hornets didn’t necessarily sign Brian Roberts for the room exception, as originally thought, when they made his deal official Wednesday, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. It appears as though they have enough cap space to use on Roberts and preserve the exception to use on someone else, should they choose.