New York Knicks NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Team Signs Michael Beasley
The New York Knicks are still working on a deal with the Houston Rockets to send All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to the Western Conference. And while they are currently locked in a stalemate, the Knicks haven't been idle in the free agent market.
After signing Ramon Sessions to a one-year deal to help mentor rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina, the Knicks also announced they have added Michael Beasley to the roster. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed. However, Basketball Insiders' Michael Sotto has reported that the forward is joining the team on a one-year deal.
Beasley has never lived up to the hype surrounding him as the second overall pick in the 2008 draft, but he has carved himself a niche as an efficient bench scorer in the past few seasons. He will get the chance to score a lot if Anthony gets shipped to the Rockets.
In 56 games (six starts) with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, Beasley averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds and he did it while playing 16.7 minutes per game. He also shot well from the field (53.3 percent) and beyond the three-point arc (41.9 percent).
In over nine seasons, Beasley has played in 509 games (206 starts) and he holds career averages of 12.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while playing 23.5 minutes per game. Aside from the Bucks, the forward has also played for the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. He has also played in China for the Shanghai Sharks (2014–15) and the Shandong Golden Stars (2015–16).
Beasley will give the Knicks a potent scoring option off the bench. However, his defense remains questionable at best, so the team will have to live with that. In any case, they don't have to worry too much if things don't work out since he only signed a one-year deal with the team.