Michael Beasley Agrees to Nets Contract Ahead on NBA Restart

Tyler Conway @jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist

Los Angeles Lakers' Michael Beasley, right, drives the ball as Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The bubble Brooklyn Nets might not be very good, but they're apparently going to be a whole lot of fun.

On Thursday, the Nets announced they'd signed forward Michael Beasley as a replacement player ahead of the NBA's restart in Orlando.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first reported the news Wednesday. That comes on the heels of Brooklyn reaching a deal with Jamal Crawford, per ESPN's Malika Andrews, giving the team two of the most unapologetic gunners in the world.

If signed, Beasley would automatically miss five games:

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42
Michael Beasley would have to serve a five-game suspension for violating the Anti-Drug policy last April. Despite that, a team like Brooklyn would have him for a minimum 5 games (3 seeding and 2 play-in) and get an inexpensive look to evaluate for 2020-21.

The Nets are slated to be without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Wilson Chandler and DeAndre Jordan in Orlando, Florida.

Terms of the potential contract have not been made available. However, it is likely the deal is structured to be for the remainder of the 2019-20 season with some sort of team option for the veteran's minimum for 2020-21. Teams have structured these late-season contracts as such, likely as a bit of insurance in case a player breaks out in Orlando or if the NBA uses expanded rosters for 2020-21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beasley has not played in the NBA since making 26 appearances for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2019 and subsequently waived before signing a contract in China later that month.

The Nets will be Beasley's eighth NBA team since he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft.

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It's unclear what type of role Beasley will have for Brooklyn, given the roster upheaval that has taken place ahead of the league's restart. It's possible Beasley will take over the Chandler role in the rotation. Chandler was averaging 21.0 minutes in 35 games for the Nets.