Chicago Bulls: Players Passed on for Denzel Valentine — Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley was selected 19th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He is now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The change of scenery certainly helped him, as he started really balling out once he was moved to a team with more opportunity for him. Since that trade, it is clear the level of scorer he is and will be for years to come.
His outside shooting ability is a great asset and if the Timberwolves ever figure things out he could be a major part of their core moving forward. He is another example of a talented, young player on that team despite their poor on-court results.
Beasley averaged less than 10 minutes per game during his rookie season. This move would have been quite different than the decision they made in taking Denzel Valentine. It is another reminder, like a few other players on this list will be, that sometimes it pays off substantially to go for the upside player regardless of how good you think your team is.
Valentine is an NBA player but Beasley is a legitimate scorer in the league. He had a pretty impressive college season the year before he entered the league, which is why he was selected shortly after the lottery.
In his lone season at Florida State, Beasley averaged 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He also shot 27.1 percent from the field including 38.7 percent from behind the three-point line.
Like a few other players on this list, this can serve as a reminder of why it is sometimes best to take the upside player instead of the player that can help the most from day one. Beasley didn’t even average 10 minutes per game in his rookie campaign.
That being said, the Bulls would sure like to have him on the roster right now more than Valentine. While he has some personal things to sort out and move on from, if he does so he is going to be very successful in the league for years to come.
Denzel will not be earning the type of money Beasley is and will be and that is because of what each of them does.