Malik Beasley is the focus of betting allegations in NBA games. This also has consequences for his contract negotiations.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is currently investigating allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets against Malik Beasley, ESPN reports, citing sources.
The allegations reportedly relate to the 2023-24 season, when Beasley played for the Milwaukee Bucks, sources said. This season, Beasley averaged 11.3 points in 79 games, reaching a career high with 77 starts, before joining the Detroit Pistons, where he was recently teammate of Dennis Schröder.
Unusual betting activities around Beasley
At least one major U.S. sportsbook noticed unusually high betting interest in Beasley’s stats beginning in January 2024, ESPN reporter David Purdum reported, citing a source in the gambling industry.
Particularly striking was a game between the Bucks and the Portland Trail Blazers on January 31, 2024. The betting odds for Beasley to get less than 2.5 rebounds changed drastically, from about +120 to about -250, due to a sudden increase in bets on the “under.” Beasley finished the game with six rebounds, and the bets classified as unusual went wrong.
“An investigation is not an indictment,” Beasley’s attorney Steve Haney told ESPN. “Malik has the same right to the presumption of innocence as everyone else under the U.S. Constitution. So far, he has not been charged.”
Beasley, 28, and the Pistons were in talks on a new three-year, $42 million contract – but negotiations have now apparently been paused. The Pistons told ESPN on Sunday they are aware of the investigation into Beasley but declined to comment further.
The league stressed its cooperation with the federal prosecutors’ investigation.