Malik Beasley Drawing Interest From Teams In Europe, China

Teams in Europe and China are exhibiting “strong” interest in free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, who hears from sources that those clubs have reached out to determine whether that interest might be mutual.

Word broke in June, just ahead of Beasley’s NBA free agency, that he was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for possible illegal betting activity. He was reportedly in discussions with the Pistons at the time about a potential three-year, $42MM deal, but that fell apart as a result of the federal investigation.

Beasley wasn’t named in last month’s indictments that resulted in the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups due to separate but related gambling cases. However, Beasley reportedly hasn’t been cleared by federal investigators or by the NBA, which is conducting its own probe into the matter, so he remains in limbo for now.

While Beasley’s preference would be to sign a new NBA contract, teams in the Chinese Basketball Association have made compelling pitches, according to Urbonas, who says those clubs are willing to make offers that are both lucrative and flexible, with NBA outs included. As Urbonas explains, that structure could appeal to Beasley since it would allow him to compete in the CBA and remain in game shape while waiting to be cleared by the NBA.

The CBA season won’t tip off until December 12, Urbonas notes, so Beasley doesn’t necessarily need to make a decision right away. If he were to be cleared to return to the NBA, the Pistons and Cavaliers are believed to be among the teams that would have interest.

Beasley, who will turn 29 later this month, is coming off a strong season in Detroit in which he averaged 16.3 points per game and finished second in the NBA in three-pointers made (319). He was the runner-up in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.