 |
| Suns. (Getty Images) |
Out with an icon. In with a knucklehead.
The Phoenix Suns have agreed to a 3-year contract worth $18 million with Minnesota Timberwolves unrestricted free agent forward Michael Beasley, according to ESPN.com.
The move comes hours after the Suns reportedly agreed to sign-and-trade point guard Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for four draft picks and cash.
Beasley, 23, averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves in 2011-12. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, he spent just two seasons in South Beach before being traded to the Timberwolves, where he was relegated to a bench role last season. Minnesota did not issue Beasley a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Beasley has had a number of off-court issues, including a marijuana possession citation and a reported stint in rehabilitation. During the lockout, Beasley was caught on camera "mushing" a fan in the face and he threw an All-Star charity game in which all the star players bailed at the last minute. He hired and fired a public relations firm in a matter of weeks and sued his former AAU coach, alleging that he received illegal benefits while at Kansas State.
Beasley emerged as a Suns target earlier this week.
Contract offers cannot be made official until July 11, once the NBA's 10-day free agency moratorium is complete.
