What if Malik Beasley is better than Gary Harris?
That’s the scary long-term proposition for the Nuggets, who traded Beasley to the Timberwolves just before the trade deadline.
Beasley reportedly rejected a three-year, $30 million extension before the season, and Denver – with a pricey roster, including the struggling Harris – didn’t want to deal with Beasley’s restricted free agency. It’s worth noting that the Nuggets easily had the mechanism to keep both Harris and Beasley at shooting guard. It just might have required paying the luxury tax.
So, Denver moved Beasley, who’s flourishing in Minnesota. He’s averaging 21 points per game, shooting 52% on 2-pointers and 44% on 3-pointers, launching nine triples per game. It’s a small sample. It’s also an eye-opening sample.
In the meantime, the Nuggets – who could make a deep playoff run this season – have been playing musical chairs at backup shooting guard.
Enter Troy Daniels, whom the Lakers just waived.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Free agent guard Troy Daniels is finalizing a deal with Denver, league sources tell ESPN. His agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports worked out a release with Lakers, and Daniels cleared waivers today.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 4, 2020
Daniels isn’t as good as Beasley. Daniels doesn’t score like Jordan McRae, whom Denver initially acquired to replace Beasley.
But Daniels can flat out shoot from distance. He won’t do much else. There are reasons the Lakers dropped him when also-rans Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith are the apparent options. But Daniels does bring a valuable skill.
He’ll just have to provide it in the large shadow Beasley is casting from Minnesota.