2018 NBA free agency grades: Lakers add Michael Beasley to the mix

One of the strangest NBA free agency periods in recent memory took another turn Friday, as the Los Angeles Lakers came to terms with enigmatic forward, Michael Beasley.

As reported by Yahoo Sports news breaker Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with former New York Knick Michael Beasley as NBA free agency continues to wind down.

The second overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft will join his seventh franchise in what has been a topsy-turvy career so far. Beasley is the latest in an extraordinary batch of players signed by Lakers general manager Magic Johnson.

The who’s who of modern day NBA personalities will join forces in LaLa land, as Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo and Beasley provide LeBron James with the most ludicrous supporting cast of his Hall of Fame career.

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Back to Beasley though.

It’s been a feel good story of the last few seasons watching Beasley re-emerge as a genuine rotation player in the NBA. His offensive talent has been on full display, as past lockerroom issues have faded into the background.

No longer seen as a troublesome character, Beasley has instead become a cult figure among fans, his exuberance for the game hard to ignore.

On the court, he’s put the ball in the bucket since returning to the league in 2016, averaging 22.3 points per 36 minutes over his 150 appearances with the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks.

In the past two seasons he has connected on over 50 percent of his field goal attempts and 40 percent of his 3-point efforts — providing excellent scoring off the bench.

It must be noted, that despite the high impact offense, his role has remained limited. The 29-year-old has averaged just 19.5 minutes per game off the bench over the last two seasons, with the defensive side of his game still restricting the ability to give him a more prominent role.

According to NBA.com, Beasley ranked 162nd out of 168 players in defensive rating to have played more than 70 games last season.

Pairing Beasley with LeBron will without doubt be a fruitful scoring duo on occasion, but over the course of the season it’s anyones guess as to how they will be able to mesh with the other new members of the Lakers squad.

The Lakers have now grouped together a talented young core with a bunch of guys that have hardly been praised as high-caliber leaders over their careers.

You simply could not have dreamed that this would be the direction the Lakers would head after signing James to a stunning long-term deal, but perhaps the security of retaining LeBron is part of the puzzle.

Once Magic Johnson missed out on Paul George, the focus quickly turned to next summer when Kawhi Leonard will be widely expected to become a Laker. It would appear this season has become a placeholder for the Lakers as they bide their time, ready to strike in 2019-20.

Beasley on a one-year deal is low risk — he’ll put the ball in the bucket and if recent times are any indication, be a stand-up teammate. But with LeBron set to turn 34 this coming season, the Lakers offseason is has become one of the strangest in recent memory.

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But for now, they will hope Beasley can form a key piece in the unlikeliest of quartets. One thing’s for sure, they will be must-watch TV.

Grade: B-