Back in 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers traded away Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. While much of the focus went towards Russell’s return to the franchise that drafted him, Beasley was viewed as a very underrated acquisition due to his elite shooting ability.
Unfortunately for Beasley and the Lakers, he didn’t play up to his potential in purple and gold as he shot just 35.1% from 3-point range, a number that dropped to 26.9% in the postseason, ultimately seeing him fall out of the rotation. And even Beasley himself wishes he could re-do that time with the Lakers.
“Man, I wish I had played better with the Lakers,” Beasley said during a live stream with famed content creator N3on. “I was going through a lot of mental sh– at that time.”
Beasley would continue on, laying out all of the personal things he was dealing with as a member of the purple and gold.
“People don’t even think about all the outside noise, like your regular life outside of basketball,” Beasley noted. “Like for me, I didn’t know where to live so I lived in Beverly Hills, but it was like 40 minutes away from the arena and 40 minutes away from the practice facility. So you had to pick which one, either you wanted to live close to the arena or close to the practice facility. You go to Utah, everything is in the same gym.
“So that part and then obviously public issues with my teammates and other stuff like that. And then my own issues at home with my ex. So just wasn’t the best mentally when I was playing for the Lakers and if I could go back I would destroy it for that sh– again. But I did break a record. Seven 3-pointers in one half, only me and Kobe Bryant.”
It is nice to see Beasley opening up about the issues he had while in L.A. and admitting he wasn’t at his best and wishing he could make it right. Just two years after he left the Lakers, he nearly led the NBA in 3-pointers made as a member of the Detroit Pistons, and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting so the talent was always there.
Of course, now he is currently out of the league as the NBA continues its investigation into gambling allegations made against him. And perhaps if he’s able to get that cleared up, he could have the chance to make things right in purple and gold.
Potential Lakers unrestricted free agency targets
There are a number of players the Lakers could be targeting in free agency this offseason, including the likes of Miami Heat guard Norman Powell, Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris and New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson.
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