Malik Beasley Detroit Pistons
One gambling scandal has been brushed aside as the investigation by federal authorities into NBA guard Malik Beasley has been halted, according to sources close to the probe.
Beasley was close to inking a lucrative three-year contract with the Detroit Pistons for over $40 million when the gambling allegations emerged months ago. But now it’s unclear if Beasley will get an offer to return to the Pistons or receive one from any other team for that matter.
When word leaked that Beasley was the target of a federal probe it seemed that he could become another casualty of NBA gambling troubles. In 2024, Jontay Porter was banned permanently from the NBA when it was determined that he impacted his own player prop bets. But apparently investigators found no evidence that Beasley did anything crooked.
Beasley will be 29 in late November, and he’s never been more suited to be a valuable asset in the National Basketball Association. He played all 82 games for the Pistons in the 2024-24 season, averaging 16.2 PPG off the bench. He shot nearly 42 percent from beyond the three-point line, and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year award balloting.
Talent is talent, and NBA teams need a versatile guard who can launch (and make) threes. Beasley can also play at the other end of the court: he has the makes of a winning player who can be a complementary piece to a superstar roster. Still, the stink of the gambling probe could drive demand down for Beasley.
Major League Baseball is currently investigating two players for gambling, both pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians. The biggest gambling scandal since legal sports betting has become legal is the Porter affair, but each season there seems to be another probe into player props or what are called micro-bets.
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