After handling several of their internal players throughout the opening days of NBA Free Agency, the Milwaukee Bucks have started bringing in external pieces.
In addition to Robin Lopez, the Bucks have signed Malik Beasley to a one-year deal, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Beasley signs with the Bucks following a post trade deadline stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Milwaukee fans have been praising the move, but let us take a closer look at why by breaking it down and handing it a grade.
The financial aspect of Malik Beasley’s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Beasley’s contract with the Bucks will be a one-year deal worth $2.8 million. That’s nothing short of a steal for Milwaukee, given the caliber of player Beasley is and what he was initially set to make next season, which was a $16.5 million team option that the Lakers declined. For a team that only has veteran minimum deals to hand out, snatching Beasley off of the open market is a massive win for General Manager Jon Horst and the front office.
This is the definition of a low-risk, high-reward move for Milwaukee. If Beasley performs well, he’ll be among the biggest steals of free agency thus far. If the shooting guard struggles, he’s still on an expiring minimum deal, meaning the team is not committed to him long-term. Beasley likely took this deal to prove himself with a contender. After falling out of LA’s playoff rotation and getting his team option declined, Beasley was not going to get a huge deal, but he will now play out this year with hopes of getting a bigger deal next off-season.
Beasley undoubtedly has the potential to be among the most impactful players on a minimum deal league-wide next season.
Detailing Malik Beasley’s fit and role with the Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks clearly entered the off-season with a desire to get deeper at the wing position. Not only did they add Andre Jackson Jr., Chris Livingston, and Omari Moore via the draft, but they also kept Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder on new deals. That goes without mentioning the Bucks who are already under contract, including Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, and MarJon Beauchamp. Now, Bealsey will be another strong wing to add into the mix.
On the court, Beasley’s fit is seamless offensively. He’s an excellent perimeter shooter, having led the NBA in triples made off the bench this past season. While the Bucks likely will not emphasize the 3-pointer this coming season as much as they have in years past due to the coaching switch, it’ll never hurt to have a lethal outside threat like Beasley. Over the last five seasons, he’s put up 12.7 points while shooting 38 percent from deep on 6.9 attempts per game. A player capable of putting up numbers like that could certainly make an impact off of the bench.
Beasley will likely spend most of his minutes paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo to put a strong floor spacer on the court with him. This is a strategy that Mike Bundeholzer utilized when he was around, most notably with Bryn Forbes. When sharing the floor with Antetokounmpo, Forbes was often given an abundance of open looks, which helped fuel the best shooting season of his career, having hit a career-high 45.2 percent of his threes in 2020-21. Beasley will get his share of open looks courtesy of the Greek Freak, and it will be up to him to capitalize.
In short, Beasley has a shot to be a legitimate offensive threat for Milwaukee off of their bench.
The verdict on Malik Beasley’s one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
It’d be hard to hate this deal. Sure, Beasley is not known for his defense, which could make him a tough player to have on the court at times, and he can be inconsistent offensively. However, he is still capable of putting up double-digit points every night while hitting multiple threes; for a team that has struggled to get scoring from their complementary players for years, adding a player who can help them do that is easy to justify. Also, this is a minimum deal; it doesn’t get any better.
One might wonder if the addition of Beasley via a minimum deal makes others in Milwaukee’s wing rotation expendable. Grayson Allen has been featured in trade rumors for the longest time, but perhaps the team could even consider trading Pat Connaughton. Combined, those two make quite a bit of money, and perhaps getting an impact wing like Beasley on a minimum while also adding young talent via the draft makes the front office more willing. It would make sense if the Bucks were looking to fill a position they are thinner at, such as point guard.
Time will tell on that front, but for now, this is an excellent signing by the Milwaukee Bucks to add a sharpshooting wing with experience to their rotation. He might not be a needle-tipping addition to this roster, but Beasley could certainly help the Bucks mightily moving forward.
BTBP Grade: A+
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