The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be interested in signing free-agent small forward Michael Beasley, a source close to situation reported on Monday.
According to Basketball Insiders writer Alex Kennedy, the Lakers prove to be a good fit for the 25-year old Beasley, who played last season with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Beasley, the no.2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, has been a journeyman in the league this past three seasons, playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns before finding his way back to the Heat.
"Several teams have expressed interest in free agent Michael Beasley. Teams like the efficiency and maturity he showed last season in Miami," Kennedy stated in his recent article.
"Michael Beasley is currently training in LA with Kevin Durant. Lakers could make sense for Beasley. He'd be a good fit to fill out roster."
The Lakers have already filled up their roster with returning players from the 2013-14 season such as Nick Young, Ryan Kelly, Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry, and veterans like Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Ed Davis.
They also drafted Julius Randle (no.7 overall pick) and Jordan Clarkson (46th overall) to join holdovers Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre in the roster.
Teams reportedly liked what they saw in Beasley last season when the former Kansas State star shot 49.9 percent from the field and behaved well on the bench despite seeing reduced playing time in a star-studded Heat team.
Miami has shown interest in retaining Beasley's service, but his representative Jared Karnes confirmed no deal has been hammered yet after several talks.
"He [Karnes] has had more than one conversation with the Heat but "nothing has resulted in a deal. [Other] teams have called expressing interest. There has been quite a bit of activity the past four days. Teams are encouraged by his career-best field-goal percentage (49.9) ... and his attitude when asked to play a reduced role," via CSN Washington.
If the Lakers are to add another player, it should come from their training camp invitations. However, signing Lin apparently makes sense for the Lakers because they don't have much depth at the small forward position.
Bryant is expected to play a little bit at that spot, but the 6-foot-9 Beasley would surely give opposing teams some hard times on the defensive team because of his innate ability to score.
Beasley, who averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds last season, is seen a risky player for any team because of his tendency to violate team policies and NBA protocols. Nevertheless, if he's put in a right situation, Beasley certainly has the skills to become an impact player.
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