Phoenix, AZ – The Phoenix Suns bought out the final two seasons on the contract of Michael Beasley Tuesday, ending the troubled forward's brief but turbulent tenure with the team.
According to Phoenix radio station KTAR, the Suns will pay Beasley $4.66 million this coming season and $2.33 million in 2014-15 under terms of the settlement. The former No. 2 overall draft pick had originally been owed $12.25 million on the three-year, $18 million deal he signed with Phoenix in July of 2012.
Beasley disappointed on the court during his lone season with the Suns, averaging career lows of 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 75 games and being relegated to a bench role for much of the campaign. There were problems off of it as well, with the 24-year-old investigated by Scottsdale police in regards to an alleged sexual assault that took place at his home in January. He was arrested last month in an unrelated incident, with police citing Beasley for marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop.
"The Suns were devoted to Michael Beasley's success in Phoenix," said Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby. "However, it is essential that we demand the highest standards of personal and professional conduct as we develop a championship culture. Today's action reflects our commitment to those standards. The timing and nature of this, and all of our transactions, are based on the judgment of our Basketball leadership as to how best to achieve our singular goal of rebuilding an elite team."
Beasley began his NBA career with Miami in 2008 and spent two seasons with the Heat before being traded to Minnesota. The former Kansas State standout averaged a career-best 19.2 points in his first season with the Timberwolves in 2010-11, but has seen his production decline in the two years since.
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