Controversial Free Agent May Be Knicks Best Fit

The journeyman sniper is coming off of the most successful season of his career, finishing as the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up as one of the best players on the breakout Detroit Pistons. He averaged 16.3 points and 41.6% from 3-point distance on over nine attempts a game, leading all Detroit scorers besides star guard Cade Cunningham and the injured Jaden Ivey across an 82-game sample size.

He looked to secure some major money this offseason, but a federal gambling investigation scared most of his suitors away. He's since been cleared to return to the open market, and the Knicks, having already done their homework on Beasley's background and how likely he's been to get stuck with a suspension, now emerge as a candidate to bring him back to the NBA.

New York's done some savvy adding this summer, bringing Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele into next season's fold. They're both already passable as shooters, with the shoot-first guard averaging 36.2% from deep on over six attempts per game last y ear while the stretch big nailed 38% of his attempts.

Beasley's fit on the Knicks isn't hard to envision; he's already proven he can thrive as a spot-up and pull-up shooter, having ascended into a regular end-of-game option on a playoff team just last season. He'd be the best 3-point gunner of the Knicks' plethora of role players, easily fluctuating between bench minutes and possessions alongside spacing stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Even looking past his recent controversy, Beasley isn't a flawless option. He struggled mightily against these Knicks in the first round of the 2025 postseason, shooting under 34% from behind the arc when New York exposed the single-dimensionality of his game, as his value is rapidly diminished if the jumper isn't falling.

He'd still be an inspiring step above most of the other options the Knicks have poked around at, having spent the last month parsing through hypothetical contributors like Ben Simmons and weathered reserve point guards such as Malcolm Brogdon and Russell Westbrook.

The only free agent with a game reminiscent of Beasley is Landry Shamet, but the former Piston's volume and success rate suggest the sort of numbers Shamet's never posted. Some team with a veteran's minimum contract to offer will likely snap him up quickly, and the Knicks have reason to throw their name into the conversation.