3 Los Angeles Lakers who definitely won’t be back next season

Lakers who won’t be back next season: 1. Malik Beasley

Beasley got off to a torrid start for the surprising Utah Jazz, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc through the end of November. But he had already started trailing off by the time the Lakers traded for him in February and he shot under 40 percent from the field and just 35.3 percent from beyond the arc over the rest of the season.

In theory, Beasley was a 3-and-D upgrade over players like Brown but his shooting was inconsistent, as was his defense. As the Lakers moved into the playoffs, Beasley drifted out of the rotation as the on-ball creation ability of Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker and Dennis Schroder became more important, trimming down his opportunities. Beasley essentially didn’t play at all against the Nuggets and shot under 30 percent from the field and beyond the arc in the playoffs.

The Lakers hold a team option for Beasley for next season at around $16 million. You hate to let him walk for nothing, given the assets they had to send out to acquire him. But that trade also netted Jarred Vanderbilt and D’Angelo Russell so it’s not a total loss. But the biggest issue for the Lakers is they need to make room for new contracts for Russell, Reaves and Hachimura. Keeping those players are going to be the biggest offseason priorities and that likely means Beasley’s option doesn’t get picked up so they Lakers can use that money elsewhere.

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