The Detroit Pistons were one of the best stories of this past NBA season. The longtime Eastern Conference doormats hadn’t won more than 23 games in five seasons. But thanks to the arrival of J.B. Bickerstaff to replace Monty Williams, the ascension of Cade Cunningham into an All-NBA player and the reliable outside shooting of sixth man Malik Beasley, the Pistons made the postseason for the first time since 2019.
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There were other factors at play that turned Detroit into a winner, including Jalen Duren’s toughness inside, a top-10 team defense and a winning record away from home. The Pistons are set up to be one of the East’s top teams going forward, but they’re probably going to have to do it without Beasley.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported yesterday that the sharpshooter, who was in the midst of negotiating a three-year, $42 million contract extension with the Pistons, is being investigated by the U.S. District Attorney’s office on gambling-related charges.
NBA fans have seen this story before, as it was less than a year ago that the Raptors’ Jontay Porter pleaded guilty to gambling charges of his own. Porter has been banned from the NBA for life.
Beasley, of course, will get a chance to defend himself in court, but it’s at least fair to say that this isn’t an ideal situation for him, or for the Pistons. As such, NBA insider Marc Stein has reported that Detroit is “weighing a run at Miami’s Duncan Robinson to potentially fill their sudden need for shooting.”
Robinson opted out of the final year of his contract with the Heat yesterday, setting himself up to either sign with a new team or be signed and traded.
Robinson and Beasley have nearly identical shooting numbers over their careers, though he has never matched the volume that the Pistons Point Guard put up this past year. Robinson does have three inches on Beasley, though, which would help him get even more open looks in Detroit with Cunningham and Jaden Ivey feeding him the ball.
The Eastern Conference was already much weaker than the West, but it’s really in shambles thanks to a litany of devastating injuries to some of its top players. Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard are all set to miss most or all of next year with a torn Achilles, which could open the door for the Pistons, one of the few healthy teams, to make a deep run.
Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon could prove that his team is serious about becoming real contenders by pursuing Robinson or another shooter so quickly after hearing the Beasley news.
The Pistons may never get a better opportunity to make some noise, so Langdon needs to strike while the iron is hot. You can never have too much shooting in today’s NBA, and Robinson would be a good addition to the Pistons, whether Beasley is cleared or not.
