Last summer Michael Beasley tried to make an NBA comeback by playing for the Trail Blazers in the Las Vegas Summer League. He put up decent raw numbers — averaging 11.4 points a game and shooting 45% from 3 — but he didn’t pass the eye test. When you watched him play, he didn’t jump out as an NBA player in that setting.
This summer, Beasley is taking the money and heading to China, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sources: Former NBA No. 2 pick Michael Beasley is returning to professional basketball and will sign a seven-figure deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2022
Beasley, 33, is the former No. 2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft (behind Derrick Rose), played 11 seasons in the NBA but since 2019 has bounced around several overseas teams. Beasley should put up impressive numbers for the Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association — not a league known for its defense.