Last season was about rebuilding his reputation as a player who isn’t going to cause trouble on an NBA team. This season will probably be about becoming a more important part of the rotation, and Michael Beasley should get a chance to do it from the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks or a number of other teams.

Sometimes it feels as if Erik Spoelstra had something personal against Michael Beasley last season. The small forward averaged 7.9 points in 15.1 minutes a night while shooting 49.9% from the field. That translated into 18.9 pointer per 36 minutes, but Beasley, even at his worst, could always put the ball in the basket without too much help. He just didn’t really get the chance to do it consistently with the Miami Heat.

He has been training with Kevin Durant in Los Angeles, and according to Alex Kennedy several teams are going to be trying to sign him pretty soon. Beasley said more than once he would like to remain with the Miami Heat, even if it means another minimum deal, but he’s not going to get an offer from them as it seems right now, with the Heat pleased about how they’ve been able to fill their roster after the departure of LeBron James.

Beasley is only 25, and whatever he has managed to do wrong in his NBA career, mostly in terms of his maturity and behavior in the locker room and away from the arena, he has time to fix it and his reputation. He didn’t have any problems with the Miami Heat last season. Not being a great defender seemed to be his biggest flaw in terms of getting more minutes, and some might think that better usage of his talented could have meant the Heat fairing better in the NBA finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers need scoring, especially from a guy who’ll be able to create points on his own. Putting him under someone like Kobe Bryant and a disciplinarian head coach like Byron Scott could help carry on the trend of making Beasley a positive influence on the rest of his teammates. He was kicked off the Phoenix Suns who were afraid he’d poison the other youngsters.

Not just the Lakers are going to try and sign him. The New York Knicks are in the picture, and so are a few other teams. Scoring, even if it comes with no defense, is still something every team needs, especially if it’s a player who seems to be on the right path. It might take some more time for Beasley to get the offer, but it’s hard to imagine him not being on any team when the next NBA season begins.

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