NBA Rumors: Malik Beasley's $16.5M Lakers Contract Option Declined; Will Become UFA

After playing for three teams in the last two seasons, veteran shooting guard Malik Beasley will be on the move once again after the Los Angeles Lakers declined the $16.5 million team option on his contract for the 2023-24 season.

However, the Purple and Gold intend to stay in contact with Beasley's representatives with the possibility of the two sides agreeing to a new deal later this summer, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

The Lakers acquired the 26-year-old from the Utah Jazz ahead of last season's trade deadline as part of the deal that shipped away star point guard Russell Westbrook. Prior to that, Utah acquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 offseason as part of the deal for Rudy Gobert.

In 26 regular-season games with Los Angeles, he made 14 starts and averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range. The Lakers were the seventh seed in the playoffs and made it to the Western Conference Finals where they were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets, with Beasley playing sparingly in 11 postseason appearances and contributing 3.0 points in 8.3 minutes per game.

As he enters his eighth season in the NBA, the Florida State product has established himself as a reliable depth piece on the wing. He has career averages of 10.8 points and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. He's capable of getting a hot hand at any time, providing some supplemental scoring to support star players wherever he lands.