Malik Beasley agrees to plead guilty in the federal NBA betting case

Malik Beasley has agreed to plead guilty in the federal sports betting case that charges him with manipulating his own play for bettors. His attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN on Tuesday that a deal is done, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic also reported the agreement.

Beasley is scheduled to change his plea at a Dec. 9 hearing in Brooklyn. He originally pleaded not guilty to four counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Haney would not describe the terms. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York confirmed an agreement was reached and also declined to discuss specifics.

"We are aware of the recent report regarding Malik Beasley and will be monitoring the proceeding," an NBA spokesperson said.

Prosecutors allege Beasley worked with bettors to shape his stat lines in at least four games during the 2023-24 season with Milwaukee, after running up what the indictment calls "multimillion-dollar gambling losses." Hoops Rumors lists those games as Cleveland on Jan. 26, 2024, Charlotte on Feb. 27, the Clippers on March 10 and Brooklyn on March 21.

The case has already cost him a payday. Beasley, 29, played all 82 games for Detroit in 2024-25, averaged 16.3 points and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He was on track for a three-year, $42 million deal to stay with the Pistons before the team learned he was under federal investigation, and he did not play in the NBA last season.

He is one of six defendants. Bettor William Brown pleaded guilty earlier this month, Ernesto Plascencia's lawyer said Saturday that his client will plead guilty, and Robert Gorodetsky is set to enter his plea Nov. 20. Former NBA player Ed Davis, who prosecutors say helped lead the scheme, and agent Paolo Zamorano have pleaded not guilty.

What's next: The Dec. 9 hearing should spell out what Beasley admits to and what sentence he faces. After that, watch for any NBA discipline and for how the plea affects the cases against Davis and Zamorano.