Future NBA Free Agent Trending Toward ‘Hefty’ Raise

Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is set to hit the open market soon.

Jan 9, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) dribbles against Golden State Warriors guard Dennis Schroder (71) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

When the NBA reaches the free agency phase of the offseason, the Detroit Pistons will have to battle for Malik Beasley’s services once again.

This time around, getting the veteran guard back in the mix won’t come at the same rate. In fact, Beasley’s stock is way up.

It’s unclear what type of contract the veteran shooting guard is going to demand, but Detroit Free Press’s Omari Sankofa suggests a “hefty pay raise” is likely to be in place for Beasley this summer.

Nobody can really act surprised about this. Beasley went to a 14-win Pistons team and was a major key in helping them turn it around and notch the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Apr 4, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) shoots the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

A few weeks ago, Beasley was acknowledged as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up. He went to Detroit on a one-year, prove-it deal and proved that he could make history from beyond the arc in a single season.

After back-to-back seasons of playing on a one-year deal, Beasley has shown enough to cash in. The Detroit Free Press laid out some financial expectations in play for the veteran guard.

“The Pistons can more than double his annual salary either with the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception — if they operate as an over the cap team, which would also give them access to the $5.1 million bi-annual exception — or the $8.8 million room mid-level exception — if they operate as a cap space team — or by signing him with cap space outright.”

Detroit can afford to bring Beasley back. It just comes down to how much they’ll need to execute the rest of their plan. Last offseason’s trade acquisition, Tim Hardaway Jr., will join Beasley on the free agent market. So will the mid-season pickup, Dennis Schroder. Beasley contributed more than all three, but a case could be made for each guy to be retained.

For those pounding the table for a Beasley return to Detroit, there seems to be a good chance that scenario happens as of now. Beasley not only made it clear to the front office he did not want to be traded at the 2025 deadline, but he publicly made it known that the experience in Detroit has been very positive. The money will have to be right, but the Pistons have what it takes to bring Beasley back.