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Malik Beasley has been a valuable piece to the Nuggets rebuild, but his time with the franchise may be coming to a close. Kevin O’Connor reported Thursday morning that Philadelphia has expressed interest in the Nuggets talented wing.
The Sixers have expressed interest in Robert Covington, Malik Beasley, and Davis Bertans, among others, league sources say.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 9, 2020
Philly wants to surround Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid with more shooters before the deadline. Could a bigger move be needed? @ringer https://t.co/SNpWqF9R69
O’Connor also lists Glenn Robinson III, Davis Bertans, E’Twaun Moore, and Andre Iguodala as targets, but mentions how Robert Covington — former 76er and current Timbverwolves player — as the player Philadelphia is most interested in.
What the Nuggets could expect in compensation for Beasley might be one of the 76ers talented young players. O’Connor discusses how the 76ers could look to move on from 2018 first-round pick, Zhaire Smith. Their first round pick from last year — Matisse Thybulle — could also be an option, but O’Connor reports Philadelphia is “reluctant’’ to deal him.
This should come as no surprise from a Nuggets perspective as Beasley will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. It looks increasingly unlikely that Denver will be able to keep Beasley long-term and it was reported back in October that he turned down a three-year, $30 million contract extension from the Nuggets.
New on E+: We talked to league executives on the process of negotiating a rookie extension. The 6 principles were applied to what the future holds for Pascal Siakam, Jaylen Brown, Buddy Hield, Malik Beasley and Domas Sabonis. https://t.co/68PG53Bxq4
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 4, 2019
After a breakout 2018-19 season, Beasley is averaging just 16.4 minutes per game — down from 23.2 last year — and has been in and out of rotation all season. Beasley is still averaging 7.1 points per game and is shooting a solid 40.2 from beyond the arc.
The NBA trade deadline is February 6th, so Beasley and the Nuggets situation is certainly something to monitor going forward.