Report: Michael Beasley turned down more money in China to sign with Knicks
Michael Beasley was apparently intent on migrating to the basketball mecca.
International basketball reporter David Pick said Tuesday that Beasley, who agreed to terms with the New York Knicks on a one-year deal, turned down what would have been a greater net income from China in favor of the Knicks.
Shandong offered over $3M to re-sign Michael Beasley, but he wanted the Knicks. His NBA net income is less than he'd make in China.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) August 8, 2017
The former No. 2 overall pick averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game for the Milwaukee Bucks last season. Beasley previously had an illustrious few seasons playing in China, so the idea of a return must have been quite enticing. But NBA teams were still quite interested in him, and it’s hard to beat an opportunity to continue playing at the highest level of basketball and to now do so in the league’s biggest market.