Malik Beasley is one of the best free agent shooters who was unable to negotiate with any team due to an ongoing gambling investigation at the start of free agency. But now reports suggest that the former Detroit Pistons shooting guard can resume his negotiations because, according to his attorneys, he is not the target of the investigation anymore.
Last season, Beasley had a breakout year for the Detroit Pistons, where he set the franchise record for three-pointers made in a single season with 212 three-pointers, shooting at a rate of 41.6%. It was the perfect setup for his upcoming free agency, and reports suggest the Detroit Pistons were going to bring him back with a $42 million, 3-year deal.
Although now it seems teams can resume negotiations, the Pistons lead the charge. But that doesn’t discount other teams from cashing in on Beasley’s development by offering a more lucrative offer in a bigger market, like the New York Knicks.
The Knicks had only two 40% plus three-point shooters, and they did not bring back one of them this season (P.J. Tucker). Karl-Anthony Towns now remains the only sharpshooter on the roster. So they could really use someone like Beasley, and if he’s looking for a change, what better place than an upsurging Knicks team?
“To either come back to the Pistons, or like I said, there are some other teams interested as well”, Beasley told his Snapchat followers earlier this month, which opened room for speculation.
Before this update, it was believed that the Pistons were a firm favorite, and it was just the investigation that derailed the negotiations; otherwise, things were on pace to be finalized. But now it seems everything is back on track for Beasley, so he would like to look at all the options available.
“Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation.. An allegation with no charge, indictment, or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence,” Beasley’s attorneys told ESPN as reported by Shams Charania.
Beasley was on a rapid rise to stardom before this massive allegation hit. His career year ended with him finishing second on the Sixth Man of the Year award list. It also saw him rise to the top of the league’s shooters’ list and became a massive piece in the developing Pistons offense.
Although once the allegations went public, a lot of the fans turned on him, and he faced a lot of trolling and backlash for his alleged involvement with prop-betting.
Now he has the chance to finish what they started with the Pistons. If he chooses to go back, he will get to pair up with Duncan Robinson, another lethal sharp-shooter whom the Pistons took away from the Miami Heat in July with a sign-and-trade.
The two shooters spacing the offense for Pistons, along with Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Cade Cunningham running the show, would be a stellar offense that any opponent will be worried about.
Thus, it will be interesting to see which side Beasley chooses to go now that he’s in the clear and ready to negotiate his future in the league.
