For the second straight year, the Miami Heat are probably going to let Michael Beasley enter free agency, despite holding a team option for the player heading into next season.

Beasley joined the Memphis Grizzlies before the season began but was waived just before the end of the preseason. He signed with the Heat on February 26, signed a couple of 10-day contracts and then got a deal that includes next season, but with a team option worth $1.2 million, meaning non guaranteed money.

So why don’t the Heat want Beasley, who puts up points regardless of the minutes he gets? He averaged 8.8 points in 21 minutes a night on a reasonable 43.4% from the field. He’s not the most efficient scorer in the world, but usually bench guys are on the court for explosiveness and not playing it safe and smart.

There is the matter of Beasley’s defense. The Heat posted a negative net rating of -17 during his minutes, although Beasley was playing next to a very depleted group of players. He’s not a player that really buys into the system and becomes one with the team although during his two years (more or less) with the Cavaliers, he hasn’t had any dressing room problems, and the party life that was part of his first tenure on the team is no longer an issue, at least not that we hear of.

A talented scorer, and still not 27. But Beasley has a bad reputation and doesn’t seem to do anything specifically well besides scoring. In a league in love with specialists, it seems that despite his talent and per minute numbers, Beasley might be running out of a job in the NBA.

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