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The Detroit Pistons have found success this season with a core of homegrown players like Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren.
But one of the team's most important contributors in the NBA playoffs may be one of its few offseason additions: shooting guard Malik Beasley.
Beasley is a nine-year NBA veteran who has played for six NBA teams, most notably with the Denver Nuggets from 2016-20 and with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2019-22. He experienced his first year as a full-time starter in 2023-24, starting 77 games for the Milwaukee Bucks while averaging 11.3 points per game.
The veteran guard signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Pistons on July 6, with some expecting the Pistons to potentially deal him to a playoff contender before the February trade deadline. However, the Pistons ended up being a playoff team themselves, and Beasley himself asked the front office not to trade him.
And because Beasley has become an important part of the first Pistons playoff team since 2019, the front office will likely look to re-sign him to a multi-year deal.
Here are three things to know about the Pistons' shooting guard.
Not known as a prolific 3-point shooter early in his career, Beasley nearly doubled his 3-point attempts per game once he landed in Minnesota midway through the 2019-20 season. But Beasley turned from a good shooter to an elite one this season.
Beasley set career highs in both 3-point attempts per game (9.3) and percentage (41.6%) this season, as he leads the Pistons in both figures despite playing the majority of his minutes off the bench. Beasley takes nearly three times as many 3s per game as he does 2-pointers (3.7).
His 3-point excellence came very close to rarified air, as Beasley late in the season was on track to become the second NBA player in history to average 42% shooting on at least nine 3-point attempts per game.
The only player to do it? Stephen Curry, considered the greatest shooter in NBA history.
With a 3 to open the fourth quarter in a game against the Chicago Bulls this season, Beasley marked his 212th made 3-ball of the year, passing Saddiq Bey's mark from 2021-22 and setting a Pistons franchise record.
That record fell on Feb. 11, with 28 games left in the season.
Beasley ended up smashing the record with a career-high 319 3-pointers made this season. For some context, that's eight more than Curry made this season and ranks as the eighth-highest single-season 3-point total of all time. Beasley finished one 3-pointer shy of Anthony Edwards (320) for the NBA lead this season.
For all his excellence, Beasley made $6 million this season as part of his one-year deal, ranking 10th among all Pistons in salary for 2024-25.
That has made him an incredibly economical player for the Pistons and gave the team a lot of room to work with under the salary cap. However, that one-year deal may now prove lucrative to Beasley, who will be a coveted free agent this summer for teams in need of shooting.
If the Pistons want to keep Beasley, they will have to shell out more money than they previously expected. Just about every NBA team could add an elite 3-point shooter to their roster, and Beasley might be the best available shooter heading into the offseason.
Beasley penned a column before the playoffs in The Players' Tribune, calling Detroit a "perfect fit." The feeling is mutual.
"I’ve made this community my own, and I feel like this community has made ME one of THEIR own," he wrote.
Follow the Pistons in the NBA playoffs with the best coverage at freep.com/sports/pistons.
Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Malik Beasley free agent contract: Pistons guard wants to stay
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But one of the team's most important contributors in the NBA playoffs may be one of its few offseason additions: shooting guard Malik Beasley.
Beasley is a nine-year NBA veteran who has played for six NBA teams, most notably with the Denver Nuggets from 2016-20 and with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2019-22. He experienced his first year as a full-time starter in 2023-24, starting 77 games for the Milwaukee Bucks while averaging 11.3 points per game.
The veteran guard signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Pistons on July 6, with some expecting the Pistons to potentially deal him to a playoff contender before the February trade deadline. However, the Pistons ended up being a playoff team themselves, and Beasley himself asked the front office not to trade him.
And because Beasley has become an important part of the first Pistons playoff team since 2019, the front office will likely look to re-sign him to a multi-year deal.
Here are three things to know about the Pistons' shooting guard.
Malik Beasley is one of NBA's best 3-point shooters
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Not known as a prolific 3-point shooter early in his career, Beasley nearly doubled his 3-point attempts per game once he landed in Minnesota midway through the 2019-20 season. But Beasley turned from a good shooter to an elite one this season.
Beasley set career highs in both 3-point attempts per game (9.3) and percentage (41.6%) this season, as he leads the Pistons in both figures despite playing the majority of his minutes off the bench. Beasley takes nearly three times as many 3s per game as he does 2-pointers (3.7).
His 3-point excellence came very close to rarified air, as Beasley late in the season was on track to become the second NBA player in history to average 42% shooting on at least nine 3-point attempts per game.
The only player to do it? Stephen Curry, considered the greatest shooter in NBA history.
Malik Beasley stats to set Pistons franchise records
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With a 3 to open the fourth quarter in a game against the Chicago Bulls this season, Beasley marked his 212th made 3-ball of the year, passing Saddiq Bey's mark from 2021-22 and setting a Pistons franchise record.
That record fell on Feb. 11, with 28 games left in the season.
Beasley ended up smashing the record with a career-high 319 3-pointers made this season. For some context, that's eight more than Curry made this season and ranks as the eighth-highest single-season 3-point total of all time. Beasley finished one 3-pointer shy of Anthony Edwards (320) for the NBA lead this season.
Malik Beasley contract, free agency
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For all his excellence, Beasley made $6 million this season as part of his one-year deal, ranking 10th among all Pistons in salary for 2024-25.
That has made him an incredibly economical player for the Pistons and gave the team a lot of room to work with under the salary cap. However, that one-year deal may now prove lucrative to Beasley, who will be a coveted free agent this summer for teams in need of shooting.
If the Pistons want to keep Beasley, they will have to shell out more money than they previously expected. Just about every NBA team could add an elite 3-point shooter to their roster, and Beasley might be the best available shooter heading into the offseason.
Beasley penned a column before the playoffs in The Players' Tribune, calling Detroit a "perfect fit." The feeling is mutual.
"I’ve made this community my own, and I feel like this community has made ME one of THEIR own," he wrote.
Follow the Pistons in the NBA playoffs with the best coverage at freep.com/sports/pistons.
Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Malik Beasley free agent contract: Pistons guard wants to stay
Continue reading...
