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6 Lakers who definitely won’t be back next season

By Jason Reed

Apr 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) pumps up the crowd after a 3-point basket in the second half of game six of the 2023 NBA playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) pumps up the crowd after a 3-point basket in the second half of game six of the 2023 NBA playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Malik Beasley Lakers
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) – Malik Beasley /

3. Malik Beasley

The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Malik Beasley during the trade deadline as part of the Russell Westbrook trade. The Westbrook trade reinvented the roster and is ultimately why the team was able to make the NBA Playoffs and make a much deeper run than any pundits were expecting.

Beasley was one of the most anticipated players to join the Lakers in this trade because of what he could add in floor spacing. Beasley’s defense left more to be desired but he had shown in his NBA career that he could be an elite off-ball shooter that could really make a mark in the playoffs.

But that is not what happened. Beasley struggled to hit shots from three in the regular season and those struggles increased once the lights got bright and the playoffs began. As a result, Beasley was completely taken out of the playoff rotation in favor of other options.

Malik Beasley is too expensive for the Lakers to keep

If Malik Beasley was on a cheap contract for the 2023-24 season then the Lakers would absolutely keep him around and hope he re-finds his form. But that is not the case at all as he would cost a pretty penny if LA were to keep him around.

The Lakers have a club option on Beasley’s deal that would pay him $16.5 million next season. It is hard to pay a one-dimensional role player that much money when he isn’t even utilizing his one dimension.

Whether it be via a straight-up opt-out or via a trade that the Lakers work out, Beasley’s days in the purple and gold should definitely be over.

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