Detroit Pistons president Trajan Langdon isn’t pretending otherwise. He hasn’t talked to Malik Beasley in months. And with an NBA gambling investigation still hanging over the sharpshooter’s head, that silence isn’t likely to end anytime soon.
Langdon told reporters in May the probe was ongoing and the team hadn’t reached out. A month later, nothing changed. Langdon clarified this week that conversations between the Pistons and Beasley remain nonexistent. The guard doesn’t even have an agent right now, which makes things trickier.
This is a weird spot for both sides. Beasley just put together one of the best shooting seasons in Pistons history. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists across all 82 games in 2024-25, helping Detroit snap a five-year playoff drought and win 60 games. He was supposed to get paid. Instead, the league opened an investigation into gambling allegations last offseason, and every team went cold.
The Contract Situation That’s Stuck in Limbo
Here’s the thing. The Pistons still hold Beasley’s non-Bird rights. That means once the investigation wraps up and if he’s cleared, they could offer him a deal starting at $7.2 million. Not a max contract by any stretch, but real money for a guy who shot the lights out from deep and helped Detroit lock up the No. 1 seed in the East.
Omari Sankofa of the team’s beat reported that the gambling probe essentially scuttled the original re-signing plans. The Pistons had every intention of bringing Beasley back. But you can’t commit that kind of money to a player under active investigation. No team has been willing to touch him until the league finishes its work.
And the NBA isn’t rushing. No suspension has been handed down yet. The findings are still being processed. That leaves Beasley in a holding pattern with no agent, no deal and no clarity.
What’s Next for Detroit and Beasley
The Pistons aren’t sitting around waiting. They came off a 60-win season and knocked out the Orlando Magic in seven games during the first round. That was Detroit’s first playoff series win since 2008. They pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the East semifinals before falling short. The front office wants to make upgrades this summer to build on that run.
But Beasley remains a potential piece if the situation clears up. He’s one of the best perimeter shooters available, and at 28 years old he’s still in his prime. The gambling investigation is the only thing keeping him off the market. However long that takes, the Pistons aren’t picking up the phone. And neither is anyone else.
Langdon didn’t sound frustrated or anxious about it. He just stated the facts. No talks. No agent. No timeline. For now, Beasley waits.
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