Getty Malik Monk, left, Lakers and Malik Beasley, right, Timberwolves
As we’ve gotten closer to the NBA trade deadline, which hits this Thursday, the picture on potential trade targets around the league has become clearer. And one name that has come up who could be of interest to the Lakers is Malik Beasley, the 25-year-old guard for the Timberwolves who has lost out on minutes to breakout wing Anthony Edwards.
Beasley has had some struggles himself this season, and he has gotten just 21.2 minutes per game in the Timberwolves’ last eight games after playing 26.9 minutes to start the year. He is shooting a very mundane 35.2% from the 3-point line.
But those struggles are precisely why he is on the trade market. And there’s reason to think he will turn things around—Beasley, over the three years before this season, shot 39.7% from the 3-point line and averaged 13.0 points per game, including 19.6 points last year.
He would make a high-quality target for the Lakers, with a contract worth $14.4 million for this year, putting him in range of the Talen Horton-Tucker/Kendrick Nunn combination the Lakers have been investigating around the NBA. THT makes $9.5 million this year and Nunn makes $5 million.
The Wolves have been after Marcus Smart of the Celtics for that package. But if that falls through, taking a gamble on a promising 21-year-old like Horton-Tucker, with Nunn to boot, makes sense.
Lakers receive: Malik Beasley
Timberwolves receive: Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn
Malik Beasley Trades Have Been Much-Rumored
The subject of Beasley, who according to some executives is among the most likely to be traded at the deadline, came up in a Facebook Live discussion on Monday about the Lakers’ trade options. Heavy.com NBA insider Steve Bulpett noted that Beasley could help the Lakers in the short term, but with $15.5 million on his deal next year, the Lakers would be making a sizable commitment.
Beasley has $16.5 million on his deal for 2023-24, but he is on a team option that year.
“I see him as a fit,” Bulpett said. “It’s going to be hard to see the Lakers burdening themselves with more contracts. They’re going to need to, this summer, do a reshuffling. Now they are trying to patch the holes and put something together for a run this year, but I am not sure they can—unless a guy clearly is the answer—and with Malik Beasley, unless it is more of a certainty, I am not sure about what they can do.”
Will Lakers Trade 2027 First-Round Draft Pick?
One prominent question that would come up with Beasley, or any trade acquisition the Lakers make this week, is what else the team—Minnesota in this case—might want for him. It’s possible that the Wolves would view Nunn as an asset going forward, since Nunn is struggling to come back from an injured knee.
Frank Vogel on Kendrick Nunn: “Still not really ramped up where he’s close to playing.”
Nunn is signed next year for a very reasonable $5.5 million, which could be a serious bargain if he returns to his old form. He has a player option that most assumed he would decline, but if his knee remains an issue, he could be forced to play next year at $5.5 million. That would be a boon to the Wolves.
The bigger question: the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick, which they don’t want to include in a trade. They may have little choice, though, if they want to make a significant move. The Lakers don’t have another first-rounder eligible to be traded, and there is a chance that, with LeBron James at age 37 and Anthony Davis struggling to stay healthy, that 2027 pick could be very high.
“I think the interesting part there is the draft pick,” Bulpett said. “It is kind of like buying a Powerball ticket. If you project that the Lakers are going to be in a downturn, it could be a very valuable pick.”