The Memphis Grizzlies agreed to a deal with free agent power forward Michael Beasley on Tuesday, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Beasley will sign a non-guaranteed contract and compete for a roster spot as a backup power forward.
Michael Beasley agrees to a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, per report
After drawing interest from a few teams this offseason, Michael Beasley will attempt to revive his career with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Mike Ehrmann
Beasley drew interest from a few teams and worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs in addition to the Grizzlies. The 25-year-old will join the fourth team of his career. He spent last season with the Miami Heat and was effective at times. In limited minutes, Beasley averaged 7.9 points per game on 49.9 percent shooting. He's proven to be an effective scorer during most of his career, but hasn't provided much on the defensive end. According to Wojnarowski, some NBA teams were reluctant to pursue Beasley on the free agent market due to previous off-the-court issues. The No. 2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft will compete with Jon Leuer and Jarnell Stokes for the backup power forward job behind Zach Randolph.
For the Grizzlies, the move would appear to be a low-risk addition with possible upside. Beasley’s contract is non-guaranteed and he may not even make the roster out of camp. If he does and proves to be effective, he could be a valuable contributor to spell Randolph. Randolph wasn’t without similar issues when he arrived in Memphis, and he’s since become an anchor on multiple playoff teams. Expecting Beasley’s career to go down a similar path is unrealistic, but he’s certainly talented enough to be a significant contributor.
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