2. Michael Beasley
If you are going to acquire Carmelo Anthony, you are going it with a specific role in mind. He will be your go-to scorer, preferably with the second unit, giving the Lakers bench a much-needed scoring punch. If that sounds familiar, it is because it is the role that Michael Beasley currently holds.
Beasley was away from the team to be with his ailing mother, who sadly passed away from cancer. Upon returning to the team, he was inserted into the rotation and has given the Lakers some productive minutes.
Beasley is a bucket getter and strong rebounder. He has shown some playmaking ability as well, but scoring the basketball is his bread and butter. In a four-game stretch upon returning, Beasley scored 60 points in 67 minutes.
At this point in their respective careers, it can be argued that Beasley is a more efficient, better rounding and defending Anthony. Anthony may be a slightly better 3-pointer shooter, which the Lakers can need, but it would be hard to argue that Anthony would be an upgrade on Beasley.
However, the biggest thing Anthony has working for him is that he is best friends with LeBron James. If James wants Anthony on the Lakers, Beasley could be in the chopping block. The two have similar skill sets, so it would make little sense to retain both of them.