Malik Beasley has had a tumultuous few months. After committing a turnover against the New York Knicks to end the Detroit Pistons’ run in the playoffs, he was charged with gambling on NBA games and prop bets. Despite all the hard work he’d put in over the season, the Pistons withdrew a $42 million contract offer.
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All charges against Beasley have been dropped. However, he is left with no team and a significantly reduced contract offer wherever he goes.
Jeff Teague, who has transitioned into the NBA media’s resident funnyman, was one among many who took shots at Beasley when the investigation into his alleged gambling addiction was at its peak. Now with the charges dropped, he took to his Club 520 podcast to apologize.
“My fault, Malik, we was turning. We was on you, bruh,” said Teague, in a somber tone, a departure from his usual cheerful persona. Teague and his crew went on to lament how the accusations not only changed how Beasley is perceived around the league, but also how they cost him a bumper offer.
“It is messed up that he lost that type of bread,” said Teague’s co-host, DJ Wells. The former champion agreed and added, “Yeah, I mean like, are they gon pay him? It’s time to put a lawsuit out.”
The Pistons‘ offer to Beasley was for three years. After the allegations and the investigation started, they rescinded the offer, making him a free agent. They went on to sign Caris LeVert from the Atlanta Hawks and Duncan Robinson from the Miami Heat.
Beasley had a heater of a season last year, registering his career-best production. He made 319 three-pointers, second only to Anthony Edwards, who made 320. Beasley also shot a stunning 41.1% from beyond the arc, fully justifying why the Pistons were eager to spend that much money to bring him back for the next three years.
The guard is going to be eager to put it all behind him now and look to find a team for next season. The only problem is that the market for him has significantly reduced. The investigation meant that other teams slowly filled up their roster spots.
As of now, only the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have enquired into his availability. And even then, he’s not got an offer on the table.
The most likely course of action for Beasley is to sign a veteran minimum for next year, and play well enough to get the opportunity for another bumper payday like he had with the Pistons.
