It has been over five years now since Michael Beasley last played in the NBA and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul has a pretty straightforward explanation for why that’s the case. Paul appeared on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast recently, where co-host Gillie Da Kid brought up Beasley as a player who’s supposed to be in the NBA today.
“Michael Beasley is probably one of the most talented guys to ever touch a basketball,” Paul said. “But talent also have to be able to value infrastructure too. And I know Michael Beasley personally, and Michael Beasley is a good dude… I’m sure if he had the opportunity to do it over again, he would take a different approach.”
Paul had also earlier stressed the importance of professionalism when it comes to today’s players.
“Yesterday, I looked for talent, high-level talent,” Paul stated. “Today, high-level character and talent because as you guys know, the professional aspect of this whole thing is so important, man. When you get to that year 12-13, and that talent had ran out, you gotta be able to lean on past professionalism to keep you afloat.
“You sit back and be like, ‘Why he ain’t in the league?’ In most cases it’s because while they were there and the talent was here (gestures upward) they disregarded the professionalism,” Paul continued. “And those same people that were in those decision-making positions are now on different teams or that was in a lesser role is now in a decision-making role and they don’t want to deal with it.”
Beasley had the talent but there were questions regarding his professionalism and there were some off-the-court issues too. So, when the talent started to wane as he aged, teams were no longer all that keen on having him onboard.
Beasley last played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers all the way back in the 2018-19 season. He was traded midway through that campaign to the Los Angeles Clippers, who waived him just days after acquiring him.
While it looked like that might be the end of Beasley’s NBA career, he did get another chance to play in the league when the Brooklyn Nets signed him as a substitute player in 2020. He tested positive for COVID-19 before even playing a game, though, and his contract was voided.
Since then, the closest Beasley has gotten to playing in the NBA was when the Portland Trail Blazers added him to their Summer League roster in 2021. The Trail Blazers didn’t sign him to a deal afterward, though, and he hasn’t generated much interest since then.
Michael Beasley Said He Doesn’t Know Why He Isn’t In The NBA
While Paul stated that Beasley would have done things differently if he could start all over again, it doesn’t seem as if he knows why things went wrong. During an interview with The Boston Globe last year, Beasley said he doesn’t know why he isn’t in the NBA.
“If I had to answer that question [why I’m not in the league], I would have solved it a long time ago,” Beasley said. “But I don’t know. For me, it’s just staying in shape and being ready if it comes.”
Beasley, who was the second pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, has certainly stayed in shape as he was recently named the BIG3 Most Valuable Player for 2024. No matter how well the 35-year-old plays there or in any other league, though, I don’t see him ever getting back into the NBA. If that does indeed prove to be the case, Beasley would have ended his NBA career with averages of 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
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