The Los Angeles Lakers decided to decline Malik Beasley's $16.5 million team option ahead of free agency in order to get more flexibility, but there's still a chance he could return on a much cheaper contract. However, there appears to be quite a lot of competition for Beasley's services, with HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reporting six teams with interest.

“Lakers free agent guard Malik Beasley has drawn interest from the Sixers, Suns, Raptors, Mavericks, Bucks, and Warriors, league sources told HoopsHype. Beasley led the NBA in three-pointers made off the bench last season and is a career 37.8 percent shooter from beyond the arc.”

Beasley was traded to the Lakers last season as part of the Russell Westbrook deal. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 35.3% from long distance in 26 regular-season games with Los Angeles, including 14 starts.

However, Beasley fell out of favor in Darvin Hams rotation for the playoffs. While he appeared in 11 postseason games, he only played 8.3 minutes per game and really struggled, averaging 3.0 points on 29.4% shooting from the field. He shot 26.9% from deep in the playoffs.

While Malik Beasley had his struggles at the end of the season with the Lakers, he's still one of the more prolific 3-point shooters in the NBA and would help many of these contenders as a cheap bench piece. $16.5 million was way too much for Beasley in 2023-24, but he can still provide value on a cheaper deal. Will the Lakers look to bring him back? Or will he go to one of these reported suitors? Or perhaps somewhere else altogether?

Malik Beasley is one of the bigger names remaining on the board in free agency.