Former Detroit Pistons Guard Malik Beasley Federally Indicted On Gambling Charges

After helping the Detroit Pistons reach the playoffs in the 2024-25 campaign for the first time in five years, Malik Beasley was absent from the team’s roster last season since he was embroiled in a myriad of legal issues. As it turned out, Beasley was the subject of a federal probe related to gambling, so the Pistons were essentially forced to part ways with the sharp-shooting three-point threat while his legal situation played itself out. 

All season long, Beasley continued to stay in shape and regularly posted videos showing that he was still in the gym and working out, presumably staying ready for whenever he would be cleared through the investigation. That development never materialized, and Beasley’s status floated in the air as a tantalizing “what if” situation considering the Pistons’ lack of three-point shooters last year. For a team that finished No. 17 in long-range efficiency during the regular season, Beasley’s skill set would have fit right in, and he was actually building momentum after finishing on the podium for the Sixth Man of the Year award. 

Earlier today, Beasley was formally indicted on federal charges for gambling, such as point shaving and prop bets, so it appears that the former Piston may not have a route to return to the NBA after all. 

Even though Beasley kept repeating that he’d been cleared of the investigation (both the league and the feds were looking into his case), Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon made it clear when he spoke about the perimeter-shooting ace that he was still under investigation, contradicting Beasley’s own message. 

Back in October, Langdon spoke about the Beasley situation during an interview with Sirius XM. 

"Monitoring it from afar," Langdon said. "Obviously, he's being investigated by both the NBA and the Feds, so if something breaks then we'll have a conversations, but until then we need to manage the team with what we have and that's kind of how we're managing the situation right now."

Now that Beasley’s indictment is public, it is clear that Langdon was relaying accurate information each time he addressed the situation, and Detroit really was not in a position to add Beasley back to the squad at any point during the year. But after today’s news, Beasley has much more serious issues to worry about than his NBA career. 

According to Shams Charania, the United States government is coordinating a voluntary surrender for Beasley this week, which is a process that will force Malik to return to the country after signing with the Puerto Rican Santurce Crabbers earlier this spring. Since Puerto Rico is a US territory, it should not be too difficult of a task to accomplish for the feds, and it is expected that more information will rise to the forefront regarding the specific details of Beasley’s involvement with the gambling scheme. 

Based on previous punishments handed out from the NBA, it is more than likely that Beasley’s pathway back to the league is officially closed. Naturally, the NBA is exceedingly cautious about their reputation and the integrity of the game, so it would be a massive stretch for Beasley to beat this case and work his way back into the association. While crazier events have happened in the sporting world, today’s development appears to shut the door on any hopes from Pistons fans that Beasley could rejoin the squad to give Detroit a dangerous three-point threat to utilize. 

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