Former No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley hasn’t played in an NBA game in over two years, but he will get another opportunity to suit up professionally with a new team in 2021.
Beasley, 32, reportedly signed with Puerto Rican club Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the top league in Puerto Rico, on Tuesday according per Alberto de Roa. He’ll join his former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate J.J. Barea on the roster.
The opportunity in Puerto Rico is Beasley’s first to get on a basketball court professionally since he played in five games with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2019. The stint marked his third in the CBA over the course of his 11-year career.
The last time Beasley suited up in the NBA was back during the 2018-19 regular season with an underperforming Los Angeles Lakers team. He played in 26 games for the organization that year, averaging 7.0 points and 2.9 rebound in just over 10 minutes per contest.
Michael Beasley has signed to play in Puerto Rico alongside JJ Barea with Cangrejeros de Santurce.
Last week it was Kenneth Faried signing in the #BSN (Baloncesto Superior Nacional).
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVm5PUQ https://t.co/dSYBcgbL37
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 5, 2021
Beasley arrived in the NBA all the way back in 2008 as the Miami Heat selected him out of Kansas State with the No. 2 overall pick in that year’s draft. He lasted just two years with the organization before he was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2010 offseason to clear cap space for the eventual free agent signings of LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Beasley played his best individual basketball when in Minnesota but couldn’t find his footing and began to deal with some off-the-court issues. He then started to bounce around the league and ended up having stints with the Phoenix Suns, the Heat for a second time, the Houston Rockets, the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks and finally, the Lakers.
Beasley nearly got a unique opportunity to join the Brooklyn Nets as a “substitute player” to play in the NBA’s Bubble during the 2019-2020 season. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before joining the team and had his contract voided.
Over the course of 11 NBA seasons, Beasley has appeared in 609 games, averaging 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Beasley never quite lived up to the expectations that come with being a No. 2 overall pick and his days in the NBA are likely over, but he’ll do his best to prolong his professional career in Puerto Rico.
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