Los Angeles Lakers: 5 bargain targets during 2018 NBA free agency

2. Michael Beasley, PF — New York Knicks (unrestricted)

Not convinced Bjelica is the way to go? Maybe a more high-risk, high-reward option like Michael Beasley is the right approach for the Lakers then. Championships aren’t won by playing it safe.

Now I will admit that Beasley could cost a tad more than most of the players on this list. He’s obviously a wildly inconsistent threat on the offensive end, but we’ve seen flashes of the scoring potential that made him a No. 2 overall pick back in 2008.

Just look at his most recent season with the New York Knicks as evidence of his upside. Although he didn’t set career highs or anything like that, he put up strong averages of 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Beasley also shot 50.7 percent from the field and sank 39.5 percent of his shots from downtown.

The stat I like to see? He had 21 games with at least 20 points. That consistency is new for Beasley, who has spent his entire career underwhelming a different team on an annual basis. It took a trip to China to finally light a fire under the veteran, but this could be the opportunity the Lakers need to get some quality minutes out of the playmaking forward.

Beasley made only $2.1 million from the Knicks in 2017-18, but earned a significant raise along the way. The Lakers should have enough money to make a trip to Hollywood worth his time.