Malik Beasley, urestricted
Selected as a late first-round pick by the Denver Nuggets during the 2016 NBA Draft, there was a time when it seemed as if Malik Beasley was never going to live up to his pre-draft expectations. However, he did have a stretch of strong play with the Minnesota Timberwolves after he was traded there from Denver. That didn't last long as he would continue to struggle to find his footing bouncing between Minnesota, Utah, Los Angeles, and then with the Milwaukee Bucks last season. Hoping to find a fresh start with the Detroit Pistons, Beasley signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the team last summer.
To say that this move has worked out for both sides would be a massive understatement. Beasley and the Pistons have both worked out well for each other, as he's had a resurgence with the team. At the same time, the Pistons are also having one of their best seasons in recent history and are on pace to making it back to the NBA Playoffs for the first time in a half-decade. As Beasley has thrived in his role with the Pistons, it's hard not to begin to look ahead at what type of market could possibly await him in free agency.
In 59 games played this season with the Pistons, Beasley is averaging 17 points and three rebounds on 44 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent shooting from 3-point range. Even though he's had some solid stretches throughout his career, it's safe to say that Beasley is having the best and most complete season of his career thus far with the Pistons. At this point, I'd say he's going to have a pretty healthy market awaiting him during the offseason in free agency.
At 28 years old, I'd imagine there are going to be more than a few teams that will assign value to Beasley heading into free agency. Even if Beasley is nothing more than a spot-starter or a strong sixth man, he could carve out a nice second half of a career for himself in the league - perhaps similarly to how Malik Monk has been able to do over the last couple of seasons of his career.