Sharpshooter Malik Beasley has found a new home with the Detroit Pistons for the 2024-25 season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the 27-year-old has agreed to a one-year deal to join Detroit. This will be Beasley’s sixth team in the NBA in what will be his ninth season in the league.
Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley plans to sign a one-year, $6 million-plus deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Beasley's agent, Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management, has been negotiating the new deal with Pistons officials. pic.twitter.com/uNt4HRqX5v
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2024
In Dire Need Of Outside Shooting, Pistons Add 3-Point Specialist
Coming Off Strong Shooting Season With Bucks
Last season, the six-foot-four Beasley spent the year with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was utilized as the team’s starting shooting guard. In 79 games in 2023-24, he posted averages of 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. Never shy to shoot from long range, the eight-year veteran connected on 41.3% of his three-point tries attempting 6.9 per outing.
While he started 77 of his 79 regular season appearances, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers went a different direction in their first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Beasley only started two of the six games, and those starts came when Damian Lillard was out due to injury. Despite the demotion, he shot well in the first-round loss, going 21-41 (51.2%) from the field and 11-25 (44.0%) from beyond the arc.
Selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Beasley has been a member of the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and Bucks. In 496 regular season games (191 starts), Beasley has career averages of 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He has knocked down 38.5% of his three-point attempts.
Pistons In Much Need Of More Outside Shooting
To say the Pistons were not a good team in 2023-24 would be an understatement. They finished a league-worst 14-68. Their 28 straight losses, spanning from October 30 until December 28, 2023, set a new record in futility for most consecutive in a single season. Despite signing a large deal in the 2023 offseason, head coach Monty Williams was let go after just one season. Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is taking over the reins for the upcoming season.
Beasley brings much-needed shooting to a Detroit team that was one of the league’s worst at shooting from beyond the arc last season. They finished 29th in three-pointers made and 26th in three-point percentage. The Pistons have also signed a former player of theirs, Tobias Harris, this offseason. While he was seen as overpaid by the Philadelphia 76ers, he can also help with Detroit’s outside shooting. He shot 35.3% from three-point range last season and is 36.8% for his 13-year career. Providing more shooters should help 2021 first-overall pick Cade Cunningham be more efficient on the offensive end.
