Suns cut ties with troubled Beasley
The Phoenix Suns waived Michael Beasley on Tuesday, ending the forward's tenure with the team one year into a three-year deal and one month after his arrest for suspected marijuana possession.
Beasley, who averaged a career-low 10.1 points per game in 2012-13, reached a termination agreement reducing the amount the team will pay him for the remaining two years on his contract. It also increases the team's salary cap space for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
In a statement released by the team, Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said, "The Suns were devoted to Michael Beasley's success in Phoenix. 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, the former No. 2 pick in the draft, has had problems with marijuana before. He has stated that he entered a drug treatment facility in 2009 after twice violating the league's drug policy, and was ticketed and fined in 2011 for marijuana possession while playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
