Malik Beasley is an unrestricted free agent and can sign with whichever team he wants, including the Detroit Pistons, but he may not find the money he is looking for, as most contending teams are limited to offering a veteran’s minimum deal.
Beasley’s lawyers revealed that he is no longer under federal investigation, which is good for Beasley but doesn’t get back the $42 million he lost when this investigation was first reported and the Pistons were forced to pull their offer.
Now that he’s back on the market, just about any contending team would be happy to have him, including both the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, two of the Pistons’ most hated rivals.
It would be awful to see Beasley go to the Knicks after playing against them in the playoffs just a few months ago, but his shooting makes sense on just about any contending team.
There are also a number of non-contenders who can offer more than the Pistons, but it’s hard to see Beasley wanting to join a tanking squad if there are contenders out there that will pay for his services.
The Pistons are potentially one of them and do have a big advantage against both the Knicks and Cavaliers.
Detroit Pistons free agency: Competition for Malik Beasley
The Pistons haven’t done or said anything publicly since Beasley was cleared, so we have no idea what their thought process is at this time.
After acquiring Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green and Chaz Lanier, the Pistons may feel they have enough shooting and will let Beasley chase his riches elsewhere. But two of these guys aren’t likely to play and the Pistons have to make up over 600 3-point shots that they lost, so they don’t really have “enough” shooting.
But the Pistons can only offer Beasley $7.2 million, about half of what he was going to get on his 3-year deal. That has to hurt for Beasley, who watched his big payday disappear because of accusations and rumor.
There isn’t a team with $14 million to offer him now other than the Brooklyn Nets, who are still sitting on copious cap space. Beasley will likely have to take less and the $7.2 million from the Pistons may end up being the best offer he gets and would give him another chance to rebuild his value towards a more lucrative long-term deal.
The good news is that the Knicks and Cavaliers can only offer him a veteran’s minimum, so unless Beasley is intent on playing in one of those two cities for less money, the Pistons have an advantage if they are still interested.