Michael Beasley signs one-year deal with Shanghai Sharks
Michael Beasley has left the Memphis Grizzlies' training camp and signed a one-year deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the China Basketball Association, agent Jared Karnes told Yahoo Sports on Thursday.
Beasley had come to the Grizzlies’ camp on a non-guaranteed deal and his chances of making the opening night roster were still uncertain. The opportunity to accept a lucrative one-year deal with Shanghai proved too difficult to pass on.
Beasley hadn't been well enough to travel with Memphis on its current two-game preseason road trip, and as one team official said, "That was going to make it much harder for him to make the team."
Once the CBA season ends in March, Beasley will be free to sign with an NBA team.
The Sharks are owned by Yao Ming, the former Houston Rockets star.
Beasley, 25, had slipped from the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft to a journeyman trying to secure a minimum-salary NBA contract. He played 55 games for the Miami Heat a season ago, averaging 15 minutes and nearly eight points a game. He played well at times for the Heat, but was left out of the team's playing rotation in the playoffs.
Off-the-court issues have contributed to the reluctance of NBA teams to sign Beasley, but he showed maturity in his return to Miami and remains a scoring threat on the floor. His best NBA season came with Minnesota in 2010-11, when he averaged 19 points a game. He's also played with the Phoenix Suns.
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