It’s been quite a drama for Malik Beasley and the Detroit Pistons this summer. The Pistons were set to offer him a three-year deal before a gambling investigation submarined their plans. Beasley is potentially now back in the mix after it was reported that he was no longer under federal investigation for gambling, but do the Pistons even need him? And what about the other teams?
The Pistons added Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Javonte Green in trades and free agency, and drafted sharpshooter Chaz Lanier, a guy many have compared to Beasley.
It would appear they no longer need his services, but as we know, the Pistons have been a mediocre to bad 3-point shooting team for some time and there is no such thing as too much shooting in the modern NBA.
But even if the Pistons do want Beasley back, they can only offer him $7.2 million, a deal barely better than the one he secured last season when he was undoubtedly the best bargain contract in the league.
There are other teams that could offer more, but all of them have potential obstacles to signing Beasley, which may ultimately lead him back to Detroit on a one-year deal.
Detroit Pistons’ biggest competition for Malik Beasley may not be appealing to the unrestricted free agent
Beasley is an unrestricted free agent, so he’s free to sign with whichever team he wants and there’s nothing the Pistons can do about it.
According to ESPN, there are six teams with exceptions or cap space they can use to offer Beasley more than the $7.2 million max the Pistons can give him.
Those teams are the Bulls, Pacers, Pelicans, Kings, Wizards and Nets.
It’s hard to see Beasley wanting to go to a tanking team after making the playoffs last season, so you can probably rule out the Pelicans, Wizards and Nets, though all of those teams could potentially guarantee Beasley a bigger role than the one Detroit has for him.
The Bulls may be interested but are still being held hostage by the Josh Giddey and Coby White situations and can’t really do anything until at least the Giddey situation is resolved.
The Pacers might be an interesting choice for Beasley, as Haliburton is out for the season, which opens up some guard minutes. Indiana is not generally a big player in free agency but could still compete for at least a play-in spot in the mediocre Eastern Conference, so they do offer some competition for the Pistons.
Otherwise, Beasley would likely have to take a minimum deal to join a contender and rebuild his value once again.
But if Beasley wants to stay in a familiar situation where he had the best season of his NBA career, then Detroit is the only obvious choice. The question is, do the Pistons still want him?