When Michael Beasley joined the Los Angeles Lakers for $3.5 million this offseason, many were surprised by the move. In fact, even Beasley himself did not expect it to happen.
After LeBron James joined the Lakers, names such as Kawhi Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins floated around as stars who could be joining him this season. However, interesting locker room personalities such as Rajon Rondo, Beasley, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee were added instead. The oddity of the situation is not lost on LeBron's former Miami Heat teammate.
In an interview with Leo Sepkowitz for Bleacher Report, the polarizing forward revealed that he did not expect to sign with the Lakers after LeBron decided to head there.
“Honestly, when he went to Los Angeles, I really just crossed L.A. out in my mind. With the young core they have, the roster is stacked, so I was just like, ‘Aight, well, that might be another boat I missed.' But my agent had something up his sleeve.”
Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka clearly like what Beasley can do on the floor, especially in terms of getting his own shot. Beasley averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in just 22.3 minutes per game for the New York Knicks last year.
Beasley's familiarity with LeBron and his willingness to come off the bench should be helpful for the Lakers this upcoming season. It remains to be seen if Beasley can really get his act together this time around, but if he does, the Lakers' gamble could prove to be wise.
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