Ahead of the NBA season resuming, the Brooklyn Nets signed Michael Beasley.

Nets sign veteran forward Beasley


The Brooklyn Nets signed former number two overall pick Michael Beasley to fill out their depleted roster.

The team confirmed the signing with a statement on Thursday, calling Beasley a "substitute player".

Beasley has not played in an NBA game since February of last season but did play in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Guangdong Southern Tigers later in 2019.

The signing comes one day after the Nets added another veteran, shooting guard Jamal Crawford, as Brooklyn attempt to field a competitive roster for the NBA's 22-team restart in Orlando, Florida, later this month.

Beasley, 31, and Crawford, 40, have been added as many of the Nets' best players are either recovering from injury or have opted out of the league's restart due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Center DeAndre Jordan, forward Taurean Prince and guard Spencer Dinwiddie have tested positive for COVID-19 and said they will not be joining the team in Orlando. Forward Wilson Chandler has also opted out, saying, "the health and wellbeing of my family has to come first".

Kevin Durant has yet to play in a Nets uniform as he continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon, while Kyrie Irving was shut down for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on March 3.

With several key players out, center Jarrett Allen and swingmen Caris LeVert and Joe Harris will be the team's focal points when they take the court on July 31.

The Nets are 30-34 this season and enter the eight-game seeding schedule seventh in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of the Orlando Magic and six games ahead of the equally depleted Washington Wizards.

Beasley has averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 609 career NBA games.

After being selected second overall in the 2008 NBA Draft behind Derrick Rose, Beasley has had a journeyman career with the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers.