In summer 2023, the Milwaukee Bucks signed free agent guard Malik Beasley to a one-year minimum contract. He performed well enough in a Bucks jersey to earn a more lucrative deal the next offseason, a $6 million deal with Detroit. Following an even better year for the Pistons, Beasley was poised for a multi-year, eight-figure arrangement.
Then the gambling investigation news broke. The disturbing details of his financial morass are mounting. Just 15 months after Beasley left Milwaukee, it now seems possible that 2024-25 was the last season of his career.
Bad news keeps raining down around former Milwaukee Bucks guard
At first, Beasley was just involved in what ESPN reported as a “federal gambling probe.” That bombshell is serious enough in itself. When Beasley was still a Buck, the NBA gave Toronto’s Jontay Porter a lifetime ban for betting on games. A similar investigation into Miami’s Terry Rozier has been reopened after the guard was previously cleared.
College basketball in particular has been subject to a developing sports betting scandal that has developed over the past two years. In MLB and the NFL, several players every season are suspended or investigated due to suspected gambling violations.
It’s a growing issue in pro sports that jeopardizes careers. Beasley was in a bad enough hole already following the initial announcement.
Now it has become clear that breaching the NBA’s gambling policy is just a slice of the poison pie. Beasley reportedly owes money to a number of establishments. He resorted to gambling in an attempt to make up his hulking debts. The latest reports indicate that he has been evicted from his Detroit apartment for failing to pay rent.
It’s a real shame, not just for Beasley’s personal life, of course, but for the prospects of his productive career. Needless to say, the news has also impacted teams otherwise interested in signing him. In a resurgent season for the Pistons, the former first-round pick averaged 16.3 points on 41.6% from deep. Just 28, Beasley has averaged 11.7 points as a career 39.1% marksman – on 6.4 attempts per game – in nine seasons.
The way his problems are piling up, he seems headed for a prolonged legal saga, if not jail time. More than a year or two out of the league and his playing days are likely over. As ever-increasing info goes public, the worse it looks for one of the game’s premier volume shooters. With Beasley all but guaranteed a handsome free agency payout, the timing could not be more unfortunate for the former Buck.
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