Veteran NBA guard Malik Beasley will plead guilty to federal charges that he manipulated his play with the Bucks during the 2023/24 season in a sports gambling scheme, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports.
Beasley was indicted in June by the Department of Justice on sports betting, money laundering, and wire fraud charges. Beasley initially pleaded not guilty, but court records on Friday night indicated that he intends to change his plea.
According to the indictment, Beasley allegedly manipulated prop bets regarding his play in games against the Cavaliers on Jan. 26, 2024, the Hornets on Feb. 27, 2024, the Clippers on March 10, 2024, and the Nets on March 21, 2024.
Beasley appeared in 79 games (77 starts) with Milwaukee that season, then signed a one-year deal with the Pistons. Beasley had a stellar 2024/25 season, appearing in all 82 games and averaging 16.3 points while finishing second in the Sixth Man Award voting.
He was poised to re-sign with the Pistons on a three-year, $42MM deal before the team found out he was under federal investigation. Beasley did not play in the NBA last season.
Ed Davis, also a former NBA veteran, was indicted as well and allegedly helped lead the scheme. Beasley, according to the indictment, fell into gambling debt and took a loan from Davis to repay the millions of dollars he owed. Beasley and Davis were teammates on the Timberwolves during the 2020/21 season.
They and four other men were charged in the case. Davis has pleaded not guilty. Paolo Zamorano, Beasley’s former agent, has also pleaded not guilty. The three others charged in the case have or will plead guilty.
Beasley and Davis are the fourth and fifth former NBA players who have been indicted by federal prosecutors as a result of a probe into illegal sports gambling, joining Terry Rozier, Jontay Porter, and Damon Jones. Porter was permanently banned from the NBA after a league investigation found that he had disclosed confidential information to bettors. Jones has also pleaded guilty in his case. Rozier is scheduled to go to trial in February.
