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Landing Spots for NBA Free Agent Malik Beasley
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, "Malik Beasley is no longer a target of the federal gambling investigation conducted by the Eastern District of New York," suddenly making him one of the most intriguing NBA free agents still available.
Last season, Beasley hit 319 triples, a mark that trailed only the 320 hit by Anthony Edwards (who logged almost 600 more minutes). Beasley also shot a well-above-average 41.6 percent from deep, making him one of the most accurate and prolific outside shooters in the league.
As a specialist who can space the floor and scramble defenses as an off-ball mover, Beasley is a wing who could easily fit on just about any roster.
And the landing spots that make the most sense for the sharpshooter can be found below.
Detroit Pistons
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The Pistons were reportedly set to re-sign Beasley to a three-year, $42 million deal before the aforementioned investigation. Now, they can't quite pay him that much.
Because of the moves Detroit made this offseason, including the additions of Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert, it's limited to deals that start Beasley at $7.2 million for 2025-26.
But that number, when combined with the familiarity Beasley has with the team and an opportunity to reenter free agency in a year, could still be enough to put him back in the Pistons' red, white and blue.
And though Detroit added some shooting with the Robinson move, he alone won't replace the three-point volume provided by both Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr..
In 2025-26, the Pistons were plus-5.1 points per 100 possessions when Beasley shared the floor with Cade Cunningham, and plus-0.6 when Cade played without his favorite catch-and-shoot threat.
It would be well worth $7.2 million for the organization to preserve that impact.
New York Knicks
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The New York Knicks have already done a lot to address last season's lack of depth by adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to the second unit, but they're among the teams already connected to Beasley.
Of course, New York can only offer a minimum salary. That puts the Knicks at a pretty serious disadvantage when compared to the incumbent Pistons, but they could offer Beasley a significant role on a potential title contender.
And in lineups with offensive superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, defenses would have a difficult time checking that duo and keeping track of Beasley moving off the ball.
Last season, New York was 24th in the league in total threes made. So, the interest in Beasley is pretty easy to understand.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are another team that's reportedly checked in on Beasley.
They, like the Knicks, can only offer a veteran minimum salary, but they also offer the potential of meaningful title contention.
And though Lonzo Ball may be able to replace some of what was lost when Ty Jerome went to the Memphis Grizzlies, availability has been a massive problem throughout Ball's career.
Beasley isn't the table-setter Jerome can be, but he can eat up innings in the backcourt rotation, while providing three-point shooting to a team that's already emphasized that.
His presence on the roster would make it easier for Cleveland to deploy lineups with either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen surrounded by four high-end outside threats.
Brooklyn Nets
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The Brooklyn Nets are here primarily because they're the one team with the cap space necessary to blow that $7.2 million Detroit can offer out of the water.
It doesn't seem likely that Brooklyn would get this high for Beasley, but it has just over $20 million in space to play with.
And in an Eastern Conference that could be laughably bad in 2025-26 (thanks in large part to torn Achilles tendons for Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum), lineups with Beasley, Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Nic Claxton could be, at the very least, fascinating.
But even that is probably better than the Nets should want to be. They control their first-round pick in 2026, so adding helpful veterans shouldn't be a top priority.
This season needs to be about the development of the host of incoming rookies, including Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.
Teams That Can Outbid Detroit
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Beyond the Nets, and according to Charania, "Teams that have an exception to sign Beasley to a contract greater than $7.2 million include the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards."
And while Beasley's shooting could make him a near-instant fit with just about anyone, some of those potential landing spots make a little more sense than others.
Bulls: Josh Giddey remains unsigned, but when (or if) that situation is resolved, Chicago should be more interested in developing his chemistry with slightly younger guards like Coby White, Kevin Huerter and Ayo Dosunmu.
Pacers: Indiana needs to embrace the fact that this could be a "gap year" while Haliburton recovers, lose enough games to stay in the lottery and hope for a good pick in 2026. Adding Beasley would frustrate that possibility.
Pelicans: Interesting in theory, but everything in New Orleans is seemingly theoretical these days. Beasley would be an awesome pressure release for Zion Williamson, but the Pelicans superstar is so rarely healthy.
Kings: It feels like there would be a decent amount of overlap with Malik Monk and Beasley, but the former is a bit more of an on-ball creator, while the latter is a bit more comfortable operating as a pure catch-and-shoot threat. Lineups with DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis need all the outside shooting they can get, so this one might make some sense.
Wizards: Like the Nets, Washington should be more interested in chasing ping pong balls in the lottery than it should in adding a helpful shooter like Beasley.
