NBA Rumors: 6 Contenders Named As Suitors For Malik Beasley

The Utah Jazz have some nice assets for sale, as one of the few true sellers (though they could also be buyers) at the NBA trade deadline.

One name that's garnering plenty of interest is shooting guard Malik Beasley. And according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, his inside sources tell him that no less than six contenders have interest in the Utah guard.

“It is a thin market,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports this week. “You are going to have to overpay because there are not a ton of guys you can go out and get. A guy like (Beasley), if you need shooting and you have a pick you can put in a trade, he is a guy you can get. The market for him could get overheated because he’s a wing. He is not a great defender but he is not a guy you need to take off the floor because of defense in the playoffs. If he gets hot, he can win you some games. A lot of playoff teams are trying to figure out what it is going to take to get him."

Beasley is one of the league's leading 3-point shot-makers off the bench, and thus far is averaging 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 35.8% from downtown on heavy volume.

Count these six teams in the mix:

Cleveland Cavaliers
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Brooklyn Nets
New Orleans Pelicans
Golden State Warriors

The Cavs, as we've previously reported, have interest in a 3-team trade to land Beasley, while the Heat, according to Deveney, could be possibly interested in "a bigger deal that would send both Beasley and former Heat big guy Kelly Olynyk to Miami for a package built around Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and a combination of picks and young players."

The Bucks and Nets are short on draft capital, which could be a problem in trying to swing a deal with Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, while Deveney calls the Pels and Dubs "dark horses" to keep an eye on: The Pels are looking for some shooting and have some young trade chips (Deveney mentions Jaxson Hayes, Kira Lewis) as well as draft capital.

And as for the Warriors, they are obviously concerned about their bench and could also be in the mix—IF they were willing to part with one of their youngsters.

There are a lot of ways this could go, and if Ainge doesn't get what he wants, he could still easily simply hang on to Beasley.

February 9th is fast approaching.

Photo: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports