The NBA world was rocked by the news that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier had been arrested as part of federal investigation into gambling, according to Shams Charania, a report that has Detroit Pistons fans wondering what this means for Malik Beasley. *Also since the writing of this article, former Pistons legend Chauncey Billups has also been arrested in a federal gambling probe.
The two (now three)cases are not linked (as far as I know), so Rozier’s fate doesn’t have anything to do with Beasley’s directly, but this arrest shows that the league and the FBI are taking this very seriously.
Rozier had reportedly been cleared until it was reported that he wasn’t, the same kind of confusing information we’ve been getting about Beasley, whose status is still unclear after multiple contradictions in the reporting.
Beasley’s future with the Pistons and in the league is still up in the air, which is a shame, as the Pistons could use him.
Detroit Pistons: Waiting for Malik Beasley
The Pistons kept an open roster spot heading into the season, which many believed was being held in case Beasley is cleared and able to play at some point. The Pistons passed on a few interesting players to keep this open spot, though they also wanted to stay flexible, so it wasn’t all about Beasley.
We’ve tackled the topic of the Pistons’ shooting concerns ad nauseam and last night’s flop against the Bulls didn’t make anyone feel better about it, as they hit just 29 percent from 3-point range.
They didn’t have Beasley coming off the bench firing to give them a boost and it showed even more glaringly with Jaden Ivey out and Duncan Robinson forced into the starting five. Robinson is going to hit shots, he doesn’t concern me, but the Pistons don’t have much shooting otherwise and could clearly use Beasley back in Detroit.
With every day that passes, that reunion seems less likely, and the news about Rozier can’t have Beasley feeling good about his situation even though the two cases are obviously not the same.
I like some of the things Robinson brings to the offense that Beasley doesn’t, but there is no denying that Beasley was a big part of their success last season. This drama will likely continue for some time, as Rozier’s case started during last season and is only now getting resolved.
The Pistons were at least lucky enough not to have signed Beasley before all of this hit the fan, but they could use him now, and are anxiously awaiting a conclusion to the investigation. Even if he’s cleared, it doesn’t mean Beasley will automatically return to Detroit, as he’ll have other suitors, but they have a spot, a need a big TPE they can use to sign him.