Apr 13, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; The Washington Wizards bench celebrates the Wizards win against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Wizards Should Go All In On This Free Agent

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Hans Themistode | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 8:00 AM ET

It may not seem like it, but the Washington Wizards are serious about getting better. More importantly, they want to be viewed as a real franchise and stray away from the laughingstock label they’ve been hit with over the years.

During the offseason, the Wizards, somewhat surprisingly, shipped out arguably their best player, Jordan Poole. In return, they got seasoned veteran CJ McCollum.

In terms of production, the two are close, but the age gap made some wonder, what was the point?

Seven years is a big difference, but the message was clear: the Wizards are getting rid of immature players and bringing in proven, good ball players who can help them climb out of the NBA’s abyss.

As it stands, the Wizards roster isn’t a great one. Meaning, making the postseason would be a stretch. With that said, there’s one free agent out there that can help push them in the right direction.

Somewhere in Detroit, Malik Beasley is putting up thousands of jump shots. That regime helped him put together one of the best seasons of his career.

Malik Beasley 2024 stats

16.3 PPG, 41.6 3P%, 3.9 3PM

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The 2024-25 runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year single-handedly won Detroit a few games. He also shot them out of a couple, but that's not the point right now.

Beasley played a gigantic part in the Pistons becoming relevant. So why is he still a free agent? Well, the NBA’s current gambling probe has scared away countless teams.

Don’t worry, we can hear you guys now.

Why would the Wizards bring in a player with that sort of baggage if they want to be taken seriously? Good point. But Beasley is no longer a target of a Federal gambling probe. It is worth mentioning that the league is currently poking around in an attempt to see what’s going on.

Still, assuming nothing will come of it, the Wizards could use his production. They ranked 27th in points per game, scoring just 108 a night last season. They were also 17th in 3-pointers made.

They were, however, effective off the bench, averaging a shade under 40 a night for their second unit, good for ninth in the league.

Getting their hands on Beasley would require Washington to drop two players, but that seems like a small price to pay for someone who could come in and be one of their best players immediately.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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