Now exonerated after being investigated as part of a federal gambling probe, Detroit Pistons free agent Malik Beasley will be surging up teams’ list of attractive free agent options.
Malik Beasley’s Good News Is Bad For Russell Westbrook
One such example is the New York Knicks, who have demonstrated interest in the 28-year-old throughout the offseason. The high-payroll Knicks are only able to offer him the veteran’s minimum though. That’s close to one-third of what he could earn from the Pistons next season ($7.2 million).
I would assume Beasley garners strong interest from teams with more to offer than a veteran’s minimum. Salary cap guru @KeithSmithNBA notes that DET can offer Beasley $7.2M. Some other teams still have some or all of the tax-payer MLE. Beasley had a 3-yr, $42M deal lined up with…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) August 22, 2025
To be clear, there’s no indication that Detroit will prioritize bringing Beasley back after yanking their $42 million offer. However, Pistons president Trajan Langdon told reporters the team was “excited to get him back” (h/t Detroit Free Press journalist Omari Sanfoka II). With that in mind, the possibility of Beasley’s role being impacted by the return of Jaden Ivey and addition of Caris LeVert if he returns isn’t the problem.
It’s the trust factor.
Circle Of Trust
Due to the questions about Beasley’s integrity, the Pistons perception of him —both from players and higher-ups —may have been tainted. While he’s been cleared of wrongdoing, he faced the type of allegations that will have many people looking at his performances more closely. Did he leave a game early because he was actually injured? Did he play poorly on purpose? Is he trying to hit specific benchmarks in a game.
That may not be the type of player a franchise wants, especially one that’s trying to boost their reputation and establish team culture.
On the flip side, Detroit’s lack of faith in Beasley’s innocence was apparent. If they were confident that the situation was a misunderstanding, they wouldn’t have rescinded their offer. Thus, their actions suggest that they didn’t have the highest opinion of his character. Someone in Beasley’s shoes might take that as a slight. In fact, he made a post about having a chip on shoulder at the beginning of August.
Malik Beasley on Snapchat
“People were saying some crazy things in the media, people judging me. I’ll tell you one thing I have a chip on my shoulder I’m ready to destroy anyone in front of me, I’m ready to prove again I belong in this league.” pic.twitter.com/qKBDFKKJW7
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) August 6, 2025
Once the apple of his eye, the metro Atlanta native may have grown disillusioned with Detroit.
Malik Or Malik?
If Beasley does re-sign with the Pistons, the chain effect could be dramatic.
At present, the Sacramento Kings are attempting to trade two-time Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Malik Monk. Due to their agreement to sign Pistons free agent Dennis Schroder, Detroit was suggested as a potential sign-and-trade destination. Since then, the Schroder deal has become official, so folding it into a Monk sign-and-trade is no longer possible. However, Detroit could have still made a move for Monk.
On the surface, Beasley’s outside shooting makes him a no-brainer for the Pistons in an either-or scenario. Yet, his career playoff numbers pale in comparison to Monk’s. In 43 games, Beasley has averaged 7.8 points and 0.7 assists in 18.3 minutes per contest. For comparison, Monk has averaged 19.o points and 3.6 assists per game in the postseason, albeit on a much smaller sample size (seven games).
As Detroit considers what they need to take the next step, there’s reason to believe they could see Monk as being more valuable than Beasley. At the same time, because Sacramento doesn’t quite have the high-end shooting one would expect of a star-laden team, they could prefer what Beasley provides over Monk. To that point, Beasley is a career 39.1 percent 3-point shooter, whereas Monk’s a career 35.0 percent 3-point shooter. Numbers aside, Beasley is more of a spot-up specialist, while the deceptively athletic Monk has a fondness for scoring off the bounce.
The Biggest Loser
Ultimately, whether Detroit re-signs Beasley or brings in Monk, unrestricted free agent Russell Westbrook loses in the end. Now that Beasley’s back on the market, that’s just one more player that teams are likely to see as the more effective option at this point of their career. As he’s going to be more affordable and accessible than Monk, teams looking for backcourt help will be less inclined to engage with Sacramento about a trade for the Kentucky product.
That’s terrible news for Westbrook, who currently only has one suitor this offseason in the Kings.
Just consider that his rickety jumper has never improved. His defensive impact has never measured up to his athletic ability. Last but not least, he’s a turnover machine. One day, Westbrook will be in the Basketball Hall of Fame. But right now, the 36-year-old is on the verge of being out of the league.
© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
