Malik Beasley has had a rollercoaster of a few months. After committing a turnover to end the Pistons’ dream 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. Now that all charges against Beasley have been dropped, he’s left with no team and a significantly reduced contract offer wherever he goes.
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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, however, with the charges dropped, he took to his Club 520 podcast to apologize to the former Buck.
“My fault Malik, we was turning. We was on you bruh,” he said, in a somber tone that came as a departure from his usual cheerfulness. Teague and his crew went on to lament how the accusations not only changed Beasley’s perception around the league, but also how it cost him a bumper offer.
“It is messed up that he lost that type of bread,” said Teague’s co-host, before the former champion agreed and added, “Yeah, I mean like is they gon pay him? It’s time to put a lawsuit out.”
The Detroit Pistons‘ offer to Beasley was for three years and a total of $42 million. After the allegations and the investigation started, they rescinded the offer, making him a free agent.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 best career production-wise. He made 319 three-pointers, second only to Anthony Edwards, who made 320. He 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.
He’s 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 not only cost him his contract with the Pistons, but it also meant that other teams slowly filled up their roster spots. As of now, only the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have made enquiries 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.
