Malik Beasley could still face charges in federal gambling probe

While it appears free agent shooting guard Malik Beasley has been cleared as a “target” in a federal gambling probe, he remains under investigation.

Per Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, Beasley may not be out of the woods just yet.

“To federal prosecutors, ‘target’ has a specific and narrow technical definition,” Schiffer wrote. “The Department of Justice defines a ‘target’ as ‘a person as to whom the prosecutor or the grand jury has substantial evidence linking him or her to the commission of a crime and who, in the judgment of the prosecutor, is a putative defendant.”

ESPN reported that Beasley has been totally cleared in the investigation — and that may not be entirely accurate.

“Beasley is still considered a ‘subject’ of the investigation, according to a source with knowledge of it,” Schiffer wrote. “The Department of Justice defines a subject as ‘a person whose conduct is within the scope of the grand jury’s investigation,’ which means Beasley could still be charged with a crime, something his lawyers have acknowledged.”

The Cavaliers and Knicks have been linked to Beasley in recent days. But again, even his lawyers don’t know yet if he’ll be charged.

“I have no idea,” Steve Haney, one of Beasley’s attorneys, said when asked by The Detroit News if Beasley would be charged. “That is the frustrating thing. You live in a state of purgatory with a cloud hanging over your head for what? Forever? And you’re out of the league and can never play basketball again?”

Beasley was a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year last season with the resurgent Pistons, but is now a man without a team. He appeared in all 82 games in his first season with Detroit last year, averaging 16.3 points on 43.0 percent shooting, including 41.6 percent on 3-pointers.

Most NBA training camps begin in about a month, some sooner.