Malik Beasley is negotiating a plea agreement with federal prosecutors over allegations that he manipulated his NBA performance to benefit gamblers, but his lawyer said no final decision to plead guilty had been made.
A court notice posted Friday indicated that Beasley intended to change his plea. Steve Haney, his attorney, said Beasley was in discussions with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and expected a decision early the following week. The distinction leaves the outcome of the negotiations unresolved despite the docket notice.
Beasley initially pleaded not guilty in New York federal court in July after a June indictment. He faces charges of bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
The indictment alleges that Beasley deliberately manipulated his statistics in at least four games during the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2023-24 season, his only season with the club. Prosecutors say the alleged conduct enabled gamblers to wager on whether he would underperform or exceed bookmakers’ expectations.
According to the indictment, Beasley had accumulated millions of dollars in gambling losses and borrowed money from former NBA player Ed Davis. It alleges that bettors bribed Beasley and that debts owed to Davis were reduced or eliminated in return for the alleged manipulation of his play.
Beasley, Davis, sports agent Paolo Zamorano and three others were charged in an indictment unsealed during the summer. Davis and Zamorano have pleaded not guilty. The case was part of a wider gambling scandal that involved more than three dozen arrests, while former NBA player Damon Jones became the first person to plead guilty in the federal sweep in April.
Beasley played for the Detroit Pistons in 2024-25, but has been out of the NBA since then. The Pistons withdrew a potential three-year, $42 million contract offer after the allegations became public.
