Lakers' Malik Beasley: Headed to Lakers

The Lakers acquired Beasley from the Jazz on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal that also involves the Timberwolves, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

News of the trade arrived shortly before the Timberwolves and Jazz tipped off Wednesday, resulting in several players from both sides being ruled out for the contest. Beasley will be joined in Los Angeles by D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, while Minnesota receives Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and second-round picks in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, Utah will take back Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round pick in the trade. One of the top high-volume three-point threats in the NBA this season, Beasley will give the Lakers some much-needed perimeter shooting. D'Angelo Russell is a better bet to step into a starting role in the backcourt with Los Angeles, but Beasley could end up vying for a spot on the top unit alongside him if the Lakers view him as a better fit than Patrick Beverley alongside Russell and LeBron James. At the very least, Beasley should be locked into a key role on the second unit, though he could struggle to maintain the season-long averages of 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 treys, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals in 26.7 minutes per game that he turned in over his 55 games with Utah. The Lakers are scheduled to host the Bucks on Thursday, but it's unclear if any of Beasley, Russell or Vanderbilt will be available to play in that contest.