Tag: Malik Beasley

The Pelicans almost traded for Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley before the Lakers did

Reportedly, the Lakers were close to missing out on two of the major players they received in the Russell Westbrook trade.

The Los Angeles Lakers may have salvaged what was turning into yet another disappointing season when they traded Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round draft pick for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley a day before the trade deadline.

Many fans would’ve been happy if the team had simply dumped Westbrook without getting anything of value in return. Instead, it gained what looks like outstanding value for him.

A big reason was the fact the deal included Vanderbilt, who has emerged as a defensive standout and a good rebounder, as well as Beasley, who always carries the threat of being a 3-point sniper.

But both almost became members of the New Orleans Pelicans instead (h/t Sports Illustrated).

Via The Lowe Post:

“The Pelicans were close to getting Beasley and Vanderbilt from Utah at the trade deadline, or close-ish,” Lowe revealed. “They had a pretty good offer on the table, it was a draft equity-based offer with a pick that maybe was not as good as the Lakers pick that they ended up trading, but pretty close from what I’ve heard.”

Perhaps the deal-breaker was Mike Conley, the veteran point guard the Utah Jazz were looking to get rid of.

“But one of the issues was maybe the picks weren’t exactly equivalent, but the other issue was (Mike) Conley, and the Jazz’s determination to get off of Conley, and could the Pelicans figure that out somehow and it became a little complicated,” Lowe explained. “But that trade ends up helping the Lakers, helping the Wolves, and the Pelicans don’t get involved in it and now they’re falling apart.”

After a couple of years of lousy luck, the Lakers and their beleaguered general manager Rob Pelinka finally benefited from a strong dose of good luck in the Westbrook trade. It could very well make them into a very good team, if not a contender, next season.

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NBA Twitter reacts to Malik Beasley’s big game versus the Pelicans

Lakers fans on Twitter are very happy Malik Beasley finally had a breakout performance in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans.

Since coming to the Los Angeles Lakers in February’s blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade, shooting guard Malik Beasley has struggled mightily.

He came into Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans shooting a paltry 37% from the field and 32.6% from 3-point range in 12 contests with Los Angeles.

But Beasley broke out in a huge way against the Pelicans.

He shot 7-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first half to propel the Lakers to a 75-40 halftime lead, and he finished with 24 points on 8-of-16 overall shooting and 7-of-12 from downtown in their 123-108 win.

In doing so, Beasley made Lakers history as only their third player to ever hit seven triples in one half.

Across Twitter, fans were amazed at his red-hot performance.

 

Malik Beasley, Austin Reaves praise the Lakers’ energy

It seems like the Lakers have a new, better energy surrounding themselves ever since the trades that reshaped their roster.

For the last two years, the Los Angeles Lakers were mired in mediocrity, and it seemed like there were bad vibes emanating from the team.

But multiple deals just prior to the Feb. 9 trade deadline have changed all that.

Of the Lakers’ recent additions via trade, Malik Beasley may be the most exciting as far as some fans are concerned.

He may be a streaky and even an inconsistent shooter, but he’s a shooter nonetheless, and he can get about as hot as any other sniper in the NBA.

In four games with the Purple and Gold, he has shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range on 9.0 attempts a game, and in Thursday’s blowout win over the Golden State Warriors, he went 7-of-11 from downtown.

Beasley is the deadliest shooter anyone can remember the Lakers having in quite some time.

After they defeated the Warriors 124-111, he praised the energy surrounding the team (@ 2:32).

“I would describe it as great. Immaculate,” Beasley said when asked to describe the Lakers’ energy. “Even though we’re in a tough position right now, we see that as a challenge and we like challenges. And like I said before, we kind of made a statement tonight that we’re ready to make this playoff push and do what we got to do.”

A mic’d up Darvin Ham hyped Lakers’ Malik Beasley during an awesome win over the Warriors

Coach wants Beasley to let it fly.

Malik Beasley is proving that he may have been the most underrated pickup among all players moved before the NBA’s recent trade deadline.

Beasley has played four games for the Lakers since he was traded from the Jazz, and his team has won three of those matches. He had his best game yet during his first game back after the NBA All-Star Game.

The 26-year-old wing finished with 25 points while connecting on seven of his 3-pointers. Beasley was the overall leading scorer in a game that featured LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell as well as Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson.

Beasley (9-16 FG, 7-11 3P) was caught on camera speaking to his new head coach, Darvin Ham. He apologized for one of the shots he took that didn’t go in, but Ham was quick to correct him.

“Nah, dude. That’s what you here for. What you talking about, my fault? That’s what you here for, fam. You gotta get em up. Don’t turn down nothing but your collar.”

That is great advice from the rookie head coach, who must be pleasantly surprised with the addition of his new floor spacer.

After the game, Beasley was asked to explain how it felt to hear that type of encouragement from Ham:

“It definitely feels good. I try to play the right way every time. So when I came down and shot it and it hit the side of the backboard, I was like oh man. I gotta get it back. But coach is a great coach. He wants me to shoot the ball every time … Just gotta keep pushing.”

Beasley already ranks fourth-best on the team in raw plus-minus (31), trailing only James, Davis, and Austin Reaves.

If the Lakers are going to get into the play-in tournament and have any success, they need a confident Beasley knocking down shots from beyond the arc.

Beasley says that the goal for this team is to win the championship.

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Malik Beasley thinks the Lakers can win the NBA championship

Lakers guard Malik Beasley seems to think very highly of his new team’s potential.

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t simply looking to reach the play-in tournament this spring. They want to bypass it and make the playoffs outright by finishing at least sixth in the Western Conference.

Their roster looks significantly different than it did a few weeks ago, and they’re much deeper, more balanced, younger and more athletic while possessing much more 3-point shooting.

One reason their outside shooting is more potent is the acquisition of guard Malik Beasley.

In L.A.’s 124-111 win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, he heated up, hitting 7-of-11 from 3-point range and scoring 25 points in just 26 minutes.

After the game, he told TNT’s Chris Haynes that the Lakers are capable of winning the NBA championship.

The team has a 28-32 record and is 1.5 games behind the Warriors, who are in 10th place, and 3.5 games behind the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks, who it will play on Sunday.

If the Lakers get hot the rest of the way and make the playoffs, anything could be possible, especially with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the way.

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Starters Lakers had vs. Pelicans last week expected to become the norm

It looks like D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt will remain in the Lakers’ starting lineup for a while.

Armed with a somewhat new roster, the Los Angeles Lakers begin the stretch run of the 2022-23 regular season on Thursday by hosting the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Despite their struggles of late, the Lakers are within striking distance of not only a play-in tournament spot but also a spot in the top six of the Western Conference, which would mean bypassing the play-in tournament and making the playoffs outright.

In L.A.’s last game, head coach Darvin Ham went with a starting lineup that featured three of the team’s newcomers: D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley in the backcourt and Jarred Vanderbilt at one forward spot alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

It appears Ham will stick with that lineup for the foreseeable future.

Via Los Angeles Times:

“The starting lineup Ham used during the Lakers’ last game before the All-Star Game against the (New Orleans) Pelicans featured James, Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley and is expected to become the norm.”

That lineup worked well. The Lakers won, 120-102, while shooting 53% from the field and tallying 32 assists.

Many have clamored for Vanderbilt, an energetic player who has shown tremendous defensive potential and is a good rebounder, to be moved into the starting lineup. He has shown an ability to effectively guard wings and forwards on the perimeter, which can give James some rest on the defensive end and allow him to save more of his energy for offense.

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Lakers look like a betting sleeper after LeBron’s first game since the trade deadline

The Lakers showed some promise Wednesday.

On paper, the Los Angeles Lakers team that took the floor Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans can’t hold a light to the one that started the 2021-22 season with the second-best title odds in the NBA.

In reality, it has so much more promise. And +3000 odds make the revamped Lakers a much better gamble.

Hindsight is 20/20, but we know that previous iteration of the Lakers, which featured six potential Hall of Famers, was a terrible fit. They flamed out fast and finished the season 11th in the West and out of the playoffs.

On Wednesday, we saw a team that much better complimented one another. A team that fit better around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, one very capable of climbing out of 13th place and potentially competing for a bottom-tier playoff seed, let alone a spot in the play-in tournament. We saw, dare I say, a Western Conference sleeper pick.

It was just one game, but against another projected playoff team higher in the standings, the Lakers dominated from start to finish without necessary hero-ball games from James and Davis, who scored 21 and 28 points, respectively. Fellow starters, and trade deadline additions, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley combined for 35 points to chip in for the 120-102 win. Thirteen different players recorded minutes and 12 scored points.

“I feel really good about what we’ve got brewing, but we need to lock in,” James said. “It’s the first time we’ve all been on the floor together, so we wanted to see what it looks like, and the first 40 minutes looked pretty good.”

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Head coach Darvin Ham will have some work on his hands figuring out minutes and rotations, but it’s a good problem to have with better fitting pieces at his disposal. And there’s still room for improvement. The Lakers only shot 27% from three and 61% from the free throw line.

One game isn’t enough to run to your nearest sportsbook for a Lakers championship ticket. The Denver Nuggets and (the idea of) the Phoenix Suns are still really tough. But if you already have a Lakers bet, you’re probably feeling better about the team’s chances to make some noise after the All-Star break.

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Matisse Thybulle had the biggest smile after blocking Lakers’ Malik Beasley into another dimension

Thybulle looked so happy in Portland.

It didn’t take long for former Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle to record a defensive highlight during his debut with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Thybulle, who won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award while playing in college at the University of Washington, has twice earned NBA All-Defensive Second-Team honors since turning pro.

While his time with the 76ers came to an abrupt end after playing a career-low 12.1 minutes per game thus far this season, Thybulle looked immediately ready to contribute for Trail Blazers’ defensive-minded head coach Chauncy Billups.

During the first quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the 25-year-old wing closed out on sharpshooter Malik Beasley. The results, which you can see below, were spectacular:

After falling out of Doc Rivers’ regular rotation in Philadelphia, it was great for Portland fans to see Thybulle look so happy after making such a strong impact in his Trail Blazers debut.

At the end of the first half, Thybulle had already recorded 2 blocks and 1 steal. He is one of the league leaders in deflections per 36 minutes.

During each of his past three seasons, per Cleaning the Glass, Thybulle has finished in the 100th percentile among wings in block percentage and steal percentage.

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The Lakers learned these 5 key lessons (finally!) at the NBA trade deadline. But was it too late?

Fans should be cautiously optimistic.

Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for the tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox.

The Los Angeles Lakers were among the most active teams during the NBA trade deadline, and fans should be optimistic about the moves.

Based on what we saw from Lakers executive Rob Pelinka, he clearly learned some valuable lessons from previous blunders that he and his team made earlier in his tenure running basketball operations.

Pelinka and the front office may have made a critical mistake trading for Russell Westbrook, but they possibly reversed at least some of the damage done to the roster. Here is how they managed to do it:

  1. Prioritize youth. Jarred Vanderbilt (23), Mo Bamba (24), Rui Hachimura (25), Malik Beasley (26), D’Angelo Russell (26), and Davon Reed (27) are all under 30 years old. This provides a much better future than their roster did last season when they shockingly employed thirteen different players over 30 years old. Westbrook (34) and Patrick Beverley (34) were clearly past their prime, and now the team is much more youthful.
  2. Space the floor for LeBron and Anthony Davis. Before the trade deadline, only four players in the rotation (minimum: 500 minutes) were shooting better than the league average (35.9 percent) beyond the arc. Bamba (39.8 percent), Russell (39.1 percent), and Beasley (35.9 percent) should help with spacing for James and Davis — who desperately need that from their teammates.
  3. Don’t give too much power to one agency. Only one of the players (Vanderbilt) that the Lakers traded for at the deadline is represented by Klutch. The other players are signed to CAA, Wasserman, Pay-Lay, Priority, and Octagon. This is a stark contrast considering several players that they signed during the past two offseasons (Kendrick Nunn, Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown, Juan Toscano-Anderson) were Klutch clients.
  4. If you’re not going to re-sign a guy, get an asset. The Lakers have made several bone-headed decisions by letting valuable assets (e.g. Julius Randle in 2018 or Alex Caruso in 2021) leave in free agency without fetching an asset in return. If the front office had no intentions of re-signing these guys, they should have traded them before their contracts expired. This time around, they were able to net draft capital in exchange for Thomas Bryant — who was going to command a larger contract than they were prepared to offer him this summer.
  5. Protect those picks! Former Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak included protections on his massive trades involving Steve Nash (which worked out big time!) and Dwight Howard. Pelinka hadn’t previously done that, though, and the Lakers royally screwed up by failing to protect their picks when they traded for Anthony Davis. Even though they included a pick to move off Russell Westbrook, the 2027 first-rounder is at least protected if it falls between 1 and 4.

The Lakers (26-31) are five games below .500 and but just two games back for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

The Tip-Off

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

NBA content from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

The four-team trade deadline deal that sent James Wiseman to the Pistons was briefly in jeopardy after the Warriors alleged that the Trail Blazers were misleading about the health of Gary Payton II.

Portland reportedly had Payton “gut through” an injury:

“The Athletic’s Jason Quick previously reported that Payton indicated he didn’t want to play for Portland any longer.

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said that player safety is “super important” to the organization and they were “super confident” that Payton was healthy, per Sean Highkin.

He added that the team would not have let Payton return to the court if they did not believe he was physically able to play.”

The trade still went through but this is an ugly look if it is indeed true.

One To Watch

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

(All odds via Tipico.)

Trail Blazers (-135, -2.5) vs. Lakers (+115), O/U 235.5, 10:00 PM ET

LeBron is going to miss this game due to left ankle soreness, but it’ll be fascinating to see how the new additions in Los Angeles fare in this game at the Moda Center in Portland.

Shootaround

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

—LeBron James was booed at the Super Bowl, so naturally, he put on an imaginary crown

— Josh Hart had a perfect three-word response to entering the Knicks’ locker room for the first time

— Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin reviews four backup big men Philly should consider on the buyout market

— HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan recaps the winners, losers, and trends from the NBA trade deadline

Why Wednesday’s trade is a big win for the Lakers and Rob Pelinka

After 18 months of mediocrity and pain, the Lakers have taken a big step toward respectability with Wednesday’s Russell Westbrook trade.

Since they traded for Russell Westbrook two summers ago, the Los Angeles Lakers have lived in a netherworld of endless ridicule and mediocre play.

Although Westbrook played better for a spell earlier this season after being moved to the bench, his athletic decline and awkward fit stuck out like sore thumbs, and many felt the team was being held down by his mere presence.

General manager Rob Pelinka has been subjected to a boatload of criticism, not just for acquiring a bad fit such as Westbrook, but for also wasting assets such as Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the team’s 2021 first-round draft pick, all of which were jettisoned to get the guard.

But Los Angeles took a big step back toward respectability by dealing Westbrook and a lottery-protected 2027 first-round pick for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in a three-team trade first reported late Wednesday and announced Thursday morning.

While this trade may not make the team championship contenders, at least not yet, it was pretty much a slam dunk for it and its beleaguered executive.

The Lakers scored a major win with this move for several reasons.