Malik Beasley has been cleared of allegations related to illegal prop betting involving NBA games, dating back to his time as a Milwaukee Buck. Throughout the time of the investigation this summer Beasley appeared unbothered and maintained his innocence even hinting on numerous occasions on a return to Detroit.

Detroit has held an open roster spot seemingly for Beasley, but due to them owning his non-bird rights they can only offer him a one year $7.2 million deal after making other free agent signings this summer. Beasley is already attracting interest from several teams, and would leave some substantial money on the table to return to Detroit for one more year. With the team pivoting at the beginning of free agency the question remains how will things play out if in the end he returns to Detroit this fall.

If Malik Beasley returns to the Pistons, their bench unit could be scary….. #detroitbasketball pic.twitter.com/X2NTCdih34

— Downtown Deuce (@DowntownDeuce) August 22, 2025

On the positive side the Pistons will have elite scoring on the second unit, most notably in the way of outside shooting. They will now have the likes of Duncan Robinson and Malik Beasley flaring out on the wings for whomever is handling the ball. The Pistons lacked fire power at times throughout last year, but they would have no shortage of individuals who can fill it up at a moment’s notice.

On the other end, the team would be pretty small in the second unit with 6’6 Ron Holland likely manning the 4. The intimidating presence of Isaiah Stewart would anchor the painted area, but he also only stands at 6’9 at the Center position. The other thing that should be considered is with the return of Jaden Ivey and other young players hoping to emerge this year, Beasley could see his role diminish, which would effectively drop his value in an effort to earn a long term deal next year.

As stated previously, Beasley could be leaving some money on the table if he elects to accept the $7.2 million offer. Only a small pay raise from the previous year where he earned $6 million. It appears Detroit has left things open for the possibility of a storybook reunion but the reality is it may make more sense for Beasley to cash in on his current value coming off the best season of his career. In the event he does Detroit can still fill the remaining roster spots with additional depth to the point guard or power forward position.