When the Los Angeles Lakers overhauled their roster at the trade deadline of the 2022-23 campaign, they brought in sharpshooter Malik Beasley as part of the deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz and brought D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt to L.A.
Beasley was instantly inserted into the starting lineup with the hope that his shooting would provide an offensive boost for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Beasley had good moments, but ultimately struggled to replicate his elite shooting of the past.
He was removed from the starting lineup and, by the postseason, was removed from the rotation altogether. He did see the floor in 11 of the Lakers’ 16 postseason games, but for an average of only 8.3 minutes. He started in 14 of his 26 regular season games with the Lakers, getting 23.9 minutes per contest.
He averaged 11.1 points on 39.2% from the field and 35.3% from three. Both were slight decreases on his numbers with the Jazz and his 3-point shooting suffered a significant decline from his 2.5-year stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2022-23 Highlight
In one of the most important games of the 2022-23 regular season, Beasley had one of his best performances. On March 14, the Lakers played the New Orleans Pelicans, who at the time were in a deadlock for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. A loss would have set the Lakers back in their quest to make the postseason.
Beasley was instrumental in ensuring a smooth night for Lakers fans by posting 21 first-half points on seven made threes. He was the Lakers leading scorer at the break, with Anthony Davis close behind at 20 points. That game helped propel the Lakers into the Play-In Tournament, where they ultimately finished as the No. 7 seed in the conference.
2023-24 Outlook
The Lakers have an interesting decision to make with Beasley over the next two weeks. The streaky sharpshooter has a club option on the 2023-24 season worth $16.5 million. With that, the Lakers have complete control over whether or not he’s with the team next season.
They could choose to bring him back and hope that the shooting figures return to their Minnesota levels. They also could pick up his option and look to trade him as a $16.5 million expiring contract.
However, if they don’t want to flirt with being a second apron taxpayer, they may decline the option and send him into unrestricted free agency while still holding onto his bird rights in case they want him back at a lower dollar amount.
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