Even though Michael Beasley has done about everything possible to throw away his NBA career to the point he’s an unwanted player in the league, the NBA champions, the Miami Heat, seem to have a soft spot for a former player and possibly complicated comeback projects, and they might actually pick up the recently released forward.
The Phoenix Suns managed to buyout Beasley’s contract for the next couple of years (worth a total of $12.3 million), as they’ve decided his presence on the team, along with his off-the-court problems, aren’t something they want to be a part of their rebuilding efforts in the post-Steve Nash era.
Beasley, with known marijuana issues that might not be an actual problem for most people but seem to be one hell of a deterrent for NBA teams, looked like he is on his way out of an NBA job. Despite his scoring ability (averaging 10.1 points per game in less than 21 minutes) and keeping a rather steady per-minute production despite his reducing minutes, he just seemed like too much of a “project” and a dressing room distraction.
Beasley never made it with the Heat during his first tour with the team after being the number 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft. He spent two seasons with the team, averaging 14.2 points per game, probably playing a bit out of position as a power forward.
However, the Heat seem to have new interest in him, as the cap-troubled champions look for any kind of unique bonus they can add to the team on a minimum salary. Beasley might not get too many offers like this one (although there’s no official offer as of now), especially not from a team with a recent culture of success.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Heat and the players on the team are welcome to the idea of adding Beasley, who could make an incredible value-signing if he does work out the issues that are keeping his court success below the expected level. He’s a very capable and talented scorer, who needs to feel happy in the role he’ll get, offering Miami yet another offensive-oriented player who can stretch the floor, as they hope to keep the formula that has done so well for them over the last couple of seasons.