Malik Beasley Heads to Puerto Rico, Eyes NBA Comeback Amid Gambling Probe
In one of the more unexpected twists of the 2026 basketball season, Malik Beasley is heading to Puerto Rico to suit up for the Santruce Crabbers - a team owned by global music superstar Bad Bunny, fresh off a record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. It’s a headline that reads like a fever dream, but for Beasley, it could be the first step toward reviving a career that’s hit a serious crossroads.
The move gives Beasley a chance to stay on the court while navigating an ongoing investigation tied to improper gambling allegations. The probe centers on bets placed during the 2023-24 NBA season, when Beasley was with the Milwaukee Bucks. While no charges have been filed, and his legal team maintains his innocence, the situation has put his NBA future on pause - at least for now.
Enter the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), Puerto Rico’s premier pro basketball league. The BSN kicks off its season in March, and for Beasley, it offers more than just a paycheck - it’s a platform.
A chance to stay sharp, stay visible, and remind NBA scouts and execs what he can do when he’s locked in and focused. With the 2026-27 NBA season still months away, the timing works in his favor.
Let’s not forget, Beasley’s path through the league has been anything but linear. Drafted 19th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2016, he spent three and a half seasons in a limited role, averaging 7.4 points per game.
But things changed quickly after a 2020 trade landed him in Minnesota. With a bigger role and more touches, Beasley flourished - putting up 20.7 points per game to close out that season and showing flashes of the scoring punch that made him a first-round pick in the first place.
Fast forward to last season, and Beasley was still making noise. He averaged 16.3 points per game for the Detroit Pistons and finished as the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. That kind of production doesn’t just vanish - and neither does the hunger to compete.
Now, with his NBA status in limbo, Beasley finds himself in a league that’s no stranger to talent. The BSN has a long history of producing and hosting high-level players, including NBA veterans like Carlos Arroyo and J.J.
Barea. But it’s not just the players - it’s the coaching pedigree that really jumps off the page.
Before Phil Jackson ever hoisted a trophy in Chicago or Los Angeles, he was on the sidelines in Puerto Rico, coaching the Piratas de Quebradillas. Del Harris, P.J.
Carlesimo, Herb Brown, Bernie Bickerstaff - all made coaching stops in the BSN. Even legends like Dr.
Jack Ramsay, Tex Winter, and Red Holzman passed through the league in the 1950s and ’60s. The BSN might not always be front and center in the basketball world, but its fingerprints are all over the game’s history.
For Beasley, this isn’t just a detour - it’s an opportunity. A chance to stay in rhythm, keep his name in the conversation, and maybe write the next chapter of his NBA story. It’s not the route he likely imagined, but it might just be the one that gets him back where he wants to be.