The Detroit Pistons were thrown a curveball at the start of the offseason after the front office had built its plan to attack the free agency period once it opened in July.
Rather than offering free agent guard Malik Beasley a three-year, $42 million contract, as had been the plan entering July, Detroit had to pump the brakes on those negotiations after news concerning Beasley's involvement in an investigation into gambling allegations.
Fast forward to Aug. 22, and the entire outlook of Beasley's situation and availability for the 2025-26 season has changed, which could ultimately be a great thing for the Pistons. According to Shams Charania of ESPN.com, Beasley's attorneys have been told that the former Pistons guard will not be the target of any investigations into these allegations moving forward.
Beasley's attorneys told ESPN that they had extensive conversations and meetings with the Eastern District of New York and were informed Beasley is not being considered the target after allegations regarding gambling on NBA games and prop bets during the 2023-24 season. https://t.co/4gTjas9XPa
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2025
Pistons Gifted Big Opportunity to Sign Free Agent Malik Beasley
Based on prior reporting, it seems safe to say that Detroit was more than ready to extend that $42 million offer to Beasley as soon as it was permitted to do so. Once Beasley's status came into question, holding back on that offer and pivoting to other players was the appropriate course of action. Now, however, with Beasley cleared, there is a great chance for the Pistons to get him to re-sign for pennies on the dollar.
Detroit has one roster spot remaining for this coming season. They also own Beasley's non-Bird rights and can offer him a new contract starting at $7.2 million. With Beasley missing out on what would have been a lucrative payday this summer, the odds seem high that the former Florida State Seminoles standout would at least consider signing a one-year deal for that amount and then test the market again next summer.
While the Pistons clearly wanted to work out a longer-term deal with Beasley, as evidenced by the three-year offer they were prepared to make, getting him to return at a lower number would be even better for the franchise than if they'd have just signed the sharpshooting guard at the start of free agency.