The Suns have not entered into the high-stakes bidding battle for Steve Nash because their basketball plan is taking them and their salary cap space elsewhere on the first day of free agency. Nash's price tag could tie up most of the Suns' salary cap space. The Suns are prepared to use the available space elsewhere with President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby, General Manager Lance Blanks and Coach Alvin Gentry meeting unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley today in Los Angeles and restricted free agent Eric Gordon in Phoenix on Tuesday. Beasley, the former No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft, was considered a surefire talent coming out of Kansas State but was an inconsistent, oft-injured reserve small forward last season, averaging a career-low 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds for Minnesota. He is a popular teammate but gets character questions, especially after a marijuana arrest a year ago, an incident at the rookie transition program in 2008 and reports that Miami pushed him to enter a rehabilitation center in 2009. Surely, part of the Suns' visit is to better contemplate Beasley's fit in Phoenix, where the player support staff has been expanded in the past year. When Beasley first arrived in Minnesota in a trade from Miami, he averaged 31 points for a six-game stretch but ankle injuries affected him for the remainder of that season. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound 23-year-old still averaged a career-high 19.2 points per game in 2010-11 and is a career 35.5 percent 3-point shooter. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/165584
