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Malik Beasley has yet to sign with an NBA team, but his lawyer says he’s “not barred” from the league and is instead “stuck in investigative purgatory.”
Steve Haney, Beasley’s attorney, tells Front Office Sports that the former Pistons guard has not been cleared of NBA’s investigation, which has left his client without an NBA contract.
“Malik is not barred from signing with an NBA team at this time. Unfortunately he is stuck in investigative purgatory and is left to blow in the wind based on allegations that have resulted in neither criminal charges, nor league sanctions that have cost him tens of millions of dollars,” Haney told Front Office Sports in an email.
Haney believes that the gambling-related arrests of Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier late last month are holding the NBA back from clearing Beasley.
“Given the recent arrests, and the criticism the league has received regarding its investigative ineptness, they are reluctant to take a position on clearing Malik despite him completely complying with the league investigation. Losing over $40m for accusations void of a criminal charge or conviction may be unprecedented in the history [of] pro sports,” Haney said.
During the 2022–23 season, the NBA investigated Rozier, who was on the Hornets at the time, following suspicious betting activity on his player prop bets for a game on March 23, 2023. The league eventually cleared Rozier, who was able to play 125 games over the next two seasons before his arrest in October.
In a video posted on social media Tuesday, Beasley said that he hopes to re-sign with the Pistons, who were reportedly prepared to give him a three-year, $42 million deal until the news of a federal investigation dropped hours before 2025 NBA free agency opened.
Beasley said that he has not received an offer from the Pistons and can’t directly speak to team officials because he has not been cleared by the NBA. The maximum he can receive from Detroit is $7.2 million, according to ESPN.
“I personally can’t talk to the Pistons. My agents can, in terms of team wise, but you know, there’s no official number, no official offer yet because the NBA hasn’t cleared us yet. With that being said, once the NBA clears, I’ll be ready and I’ll be in Detroit ready to go,” Beasley said.
The NBA and Pistons did not respond to a request for comment.
The Eastern District of New York declined to comment on whether Beasley is still under federal investigation, though ESPN reported in August that he is no longer a “target.” A “subject” of a federal investigation can still be charged, however.
Following the arrests of Billups and Rozier, Haney told FOS that Beasley did not provide any information to federal prosecutors and would not cooperate with the investigation.
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