The NBA’s opening week, largely a success, has been marred by gambling arrests made by the FBI. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were taken into custody amid a probe into illicit activities. Malik Beasley, who was also investigated, has not been arrested.
Beasley played for the Detroit Pistons last season, averaging an excellent 16.3 points on 41.6% shooting from deep off the bench. He was expected to return to the Pistons in free agency, although he has yet to be picked up after being named in an illegal sports betting investigation.
The NBA wrapped the investigation up during the offseason, declaring that Beasley had not broken any rules. However, the NBA had said the exact same thing about Rozier.
Clearly, the FBI saw things differently.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: Malik Beasley #5 of the Detroit Pistons in action in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 29, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Malik Beasley Has Not Been Arrested
Beasley, currently a free agent, is also a free man. Rozier was arrested for supplying bettors with inside information not publicly available, and may have acted similarly to Jontay Porter, leaving games early so his “player prop bets” would be guaranteed losses.
Billups, on the other hand, was arrested for “sports betting irregularities.” He also took part in rigged poker games, according to reports obtained by The Athletic.
Up to 31 people have been arrested by the federal government amid the probe.
“Malik Beasley’s fate also hinges on DOJ announcement,” reported investigative journalist Pablo Torre.
According to Torre, Beasley “was previously investigated and cleared by the NBA for making a bet or two on another sport.’”
Unlike Rozier and Billups, Beasley’s legal team has long reported that he is “no longer a target of the federal gambling investigation.”
At the time of writing, with as much uncertainty conveyed as possible, it is the opinion of the writer that Beasley will not be arrested, although that is based on no insider information being offered here.
NBA Is Losing Every Degree of Credibility
As if the Porter scandal from 2024 was not bad enough, it seems that it was only the first domino to fall. Porter was a fringe role player who hardly saw the court. Rozier, on the other hand, averaged 19.7 points during a five-year stretch from 2019 to 2024.
The most damning aspect of the FBI’s probe, by far, is that coaches are not above suspicion. Billups has been leading the Blazers since 2021, and the team seemed to be on the rise, especially on the defensive end.
Billups’ being taken into custody certainly hurts the team, which will have to scramble to find a long-term replacement. No matter what the FBI releases, it will be hard for the NBA to allow him back on the sidelines any time soon.
As the league gets in bed with sports books and casinos, incidents of dishonesty will only rise. For the NBA, that means losing more and more credibility as an organization with control and integrity.
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