Malik Beasley Cleared of Federal Investigation: Return to Free Agency?
Good news for basketball player Malik Beasley. His lawyers, Steve Haney and Mike Schachter, have confirmed that Beasley is no longer the target of the federal investigation into sports betting conducted by the Eastern District of New York. This situation could reopen the doors to free agency for one of the NBA’s most prominent shooters. Following extensive conversations and meetings with the authorities, it was determined that Beasley is not considered the focus of the investigation, which centers on accusations related to bets on NBA games and prop bets during the 2023-24 season.A spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment on the matter. The investigation, which was announced on June 29, halted negotiations and free agency offers for Beasley. At that time, an NBA spokesman, Mike Bass, indicated that the league was cooperating with the federal investigation. Before the investigation was made public, Beasley was expected to sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, but this deal fell through. Other interested teams also paused talks with the player. Several teams have been in contact with Beasley’s representation in recent weeks to learn about his situation. Beasley, who finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting in the 2024-25 season, averaged 16.3 points per game in the 82 regular season games. In his first season with the Pistons, the player made 319 three-pointers, the most in franchise history and the second highest in the NBA that season. In the 2023-24 season, which was the focus of the accusations, Beasley averaged 11.3 points in 79 games with the Milwaukee Bucks and started in 77 games.“Months after the start of this investigation, Malik has not been charged and is not the target of it,” Haney stated. “An accusation without charges, nor indictment nor conviction, should never have the catastrophic consequences that this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”
Steve Haney
