Malik Beasley No Longer a Target of Federal Gambling Investigation amid Free Agency
Free-agent guard Malik Beasley is no longer part of the federal gambling probe.
Beasley's attorneys, Steve Haney and Mike Schachter, told ESPN's Shams Charania that their client was not considered a target of the investigation after they had extensive conversations with the Eastern District of New York, which is conducting the investigation
"Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation," Haney told Charania. "An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence."
Charania also provided a statement from an NBA spokesperson: "NBA players compete at the highest level with the utmost integrity and are concerned that prop bets have become an increasingly alarming source of player harassment, both online and in person. If tighter regulations can help minimize that abuse, then we support taking a closer look at them."
On June 29, one day before the start of free agency, Charania reported the U.S. District Attorney's Office opened an investigation into "allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets" involving Beasley.
The allegations stemmed from the 2023-24 season when Beasley was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to Charania, Beasley was in "serious talks" to return to the Detroit Pistons on a three-year, $42 million contract that got put on pause when the investigation began.
Charania noted on Friday that "several teams" have remained in contact with Beasley's representatives in recent weeks for information on his status.
One of those teams appears to be the New York Knicks. SNY's Ian Begley noted Knicks officials did background work on Beasley and how likely or unlikely a suspension for the upcoming NBA season was.
Given the timing in the offseason, Beasley will likely have a difficult time being able to match the reported offer he had from the Pistons. The Brooklyn Nets are currently the only team with cap space.
The minimum salary in 2025-26 for a player with nine years of experience is $3.5 million. There are 19 teams more than $3.5 million under the first apron. The Knicks are hard-capped, but they can sign a player to the veteran minimum.
Beasley finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting with the Pistons last season. The 28-year-old averaged 16.3 points on 41.6 percent three-point shooting in 82 games to help Detroit make the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
