The New York Knicks could pursue Malik Beasley now that federal investigators have cleared the nine-year NBA veteran of any wrongdoing in a gambling probe, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
“I’m told that the Knicks have maintained a level of interest in Beasley since the teams met in the first round of the playoffs in May and now the sharpshooter appears poised to become an unexpected late-summer free agent of note after the launch of the investigation just as free agency was about to commence led Detroit to scrap its plans to sign him to a new three-year, $42 million deal,” Fischer wrote.
Multiple Teams Have Maintained Contact With Malik Beasley
ESPN first reported Friday that Beasley was no longer a target of a federal gambling investigation.
At least one prominent U.S. sportsbook detected “unusual heavy betting interest” on Beasley’s statistics dating back to January of last year. A gambling industry source cited a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 31, 2024.
The odds on Beasley grabbing fewer than 2.5 rebounds moved significantly at sportsbooks before the game, dropping from about +120 to around -250 due to a surge of action on the under. Beasley ended up recording six rebounds, and all of the under bets lost.
That investigation has now been dropped, and Beasley’s NBA future appears bright.
Several teams have reportedly maintained contact with Beasley’s representation during the past few weeks about his status, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
However, the Knicks might not be able to give the Florida State product the best deal.
“Teams that have an exception to sign Beasley to a contract greater than $7.2 million include the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards. The Brooklyn Nets also have cap space in excess of more than $20 million,” Charania wrote.
Knicks Could Sign Ben Simmons Or Landry Shamet
SNY’s Ian Begley also reported earlier this month that “New York [has] continued to show strong interest in signing Ben Simmons” to their final roster spot.
Simmons appeared in 51 total games (24 starts) with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers during the 2024-25 season, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 22 minutes per contest.
“The Knicks also have maintained interest in Landry Shamet for that final roster spot,” Begley added.
In 50 games off the bench with New York last season, Shamet averaged 5.7 points, 1.2 boards, and 15.2 minutes.
Beasley, who finished second in Sixth man of the Year award last season, appeared in all 82 games (18 starts) in 2024-25, his first season with the Pistons.
The former first-rounder averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 27.8 minutes per contest while shooting 43% from the field and a career-best 41.6% from 3-point territory.
According to Basketball Reference, Beasley made 319 3-pointers, the most in a season in Pistons franchise history and the second most in the NBA behind Minnesota Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards.
