Embattled ex-Bucks guard Malik Beasley hasn’t received a game check since last season. A highly sought free agent after a record-setting year for the Pistons, his involvement in a federal gambling probe put Beasley’s offseason on hold. He had been projected to return to Detroit on around a three-year, $48 million contract.
Now Beasley is getting another chance on a basketball court, but it isn’t in the NBA. It isn’t in Shanghai or the EuroLeague.
He signed on to play for the Santurce Crabbers, Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rican team, in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
Beasley’s B-ball journey: from the Bucks to Bad Bunny
The goal, presumably, is to get some exposure ahead of the upcoming summer’s free agency cycle. That assumes Beasley will be eligible to sign in the NBA, which depends on the findings of the investigation.
If cleared, Beasley should be free to go wherever he likes. If he is found guilty, his NBA career is likely over.
The allegations against Beasley stem from his lone season with the Bucks, in 2023-24. The sharpshooter averaged 11.3 points per game on 41.3% shooting from distance, a career-best clip. He parlayed that into an even better year for the Pistons, with whom he averaged 16.3 points, shot 41.6%, and made a franchise-record 319 threes.
Per ESPN, at least one instance of suspicion around Beasley comes from a game against Portland on January 31 of that season, which featured irregular wagers on the “under” for his pre-game rebound prop. That month reportedly marks the beginning of the period he is being scrutinized for.
With Bad Bunny’s team, Beasley will at least be back on the hardwood, and his contract made headlines – another positive toward keeping himself relevant in the basketball world.
If this endless investigation ever comes to a close, he is still near enough removed from a borderline career year to attract interest on a cheap deal from an NBA team in need of shooting.
