Belgrade, Serbia — Free agent guard/forward Malik Beasley is finalizing a rest-of-season contract with Partizan Belgrade worth about $2 million, according to Serbian outlet Nova.rs.
The proposed agreement reportedly carries no NBA opt-out clause, indicating the 29-year-old would remain with the Serbian club through the end of its 2023-24 campaign.
Beasley played all 82 games for the Detroit Pistons last season, averaging 16.3 points while shooting a career-best 41.3 percent from three-point range. He finished second in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Detroit had been discussing a three-year, $42 million contract with Beasley before free agency opened, but negotiations stalled after news surfaced that he was under federal investigation for possible illegal betting. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York launched the probe in June.
Beasley was not named in the October indictments that led to the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups in separate gambling cases. However, he has yet to be cleared by federal authorities or by an ongoing NBA review, leaving his status in the league uncertain and limiting interest from NBA teams. The Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers are among the clubs said to be monitoring the situation.
International interest has been strong. In addition to European suitors, several Chinese teams have reached out, according to BasketNews. Partizan Belgrade, which competes in both the ABA League and the EuroLeague, already features former NBA players Shake Milton and Jabari Parker and has opened EuroLeague play with a 5-9 record.
Source: Hoops Wire
