One of the big stories of the NBA in recent weeks was the announcement that Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley was no longer under federal investigation for an alleged role in illegal gambling activities related to NBA games. The investigation was first announced just days before Beasley was slated to enter free agency this summer, and now that his name has been cleared, teams are lining up to try to acquire his services.
Recently, NBA insider Michael Scotto of Hoopshype reported on two more teams that have interest in the sharpshooter.
“The Knicks and Cavaliers have checked in on Malik Beasley, sources told @hoopshype,” reported Scotto on X, formerly Twitter.
Scotto also noted that “Knicks executive Gersson Rosas signed Beasley to a four-year, $60M deal with the Timberwolves. Knicks and Cavs have minimum deals to offer. Beasley is no longer a target of a federal investigation.”
The connection that Beasley has to the Knicks organization could make them the frontrunner out of those teams to land him, although nothing has been confirmed on that front. It's also unlikely that Beasley would accept a minimum deal after the breakout season he had last year, playing a vital role in helping the Pistons perform above expectations.
There's also the prospect of Beasley returning to Detroit, although the Pistons went out and brought in two bench shooters–Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson–while the investigation was taking place.
All told, every team in the NBA would love to have a player like Beasley, a microwave scorer who can get red-hot from beyond the arc in a hurry and who showed at least some improvement on the defensive end of the floor last year for Detroit.
It remains to be seen whether the investigation's length will impact the dollar figure that Beasley ends up taking home this summer, but it seems inevitable at this point that he will end up signing somewhere.
