NBA’s Malik Beasley sued for $2.25M by sports agency for breach of con

Free agent NBA guard Malik Beasley, who is the subject of a federal gambling investigation, has also been sued by a sports agency he employed for alleged breach of contract.

The lawsuit was filed by Hazan Sports Management Group. Per the lawsuit obtained by Michigan Live and ESPN, Beasley has failed to repay Hazan Sports in full a cash advance of $650,000. The lawsuit seeks $2.25 million in damages and legal fees from Beasley.

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Hazan Sports claims that it has tried to recoup the $650,000 since Beasley terminated his contract with the agency on Feb. 27. Per the lawsuit, the agency has seen “little more than drips and drabs of sporadic payments and vague promises to repay the balance over time.”

The lawsuit claims that in signing Beasley, Hazan Sports “elected to take a chance and make a substantial investment of time, effort, and resources in a player with known issues (including and especially financial issues).”

The lawsuit was filed in April but has resurfaced in the wake of a federal gambling probe into Beasley that was reported on June 29. Per ESPN, “at least one prominent US sportsbook noticed unusual betting patterns on Malik Beasley prop bets beginning in January 2024.”

Beasley’s $42M contract talks on hold due to gambling probe

The gambling probe was reported on the eve of the start of NBA free agency. Beasley played last season on a one-year, $6 million contract with the Pistons and was set to become a free agent.

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Per ESPN, Beasley was in discussions with the Pistons on a three-year, $42 million contract. Those discussions were placed on hold after news of the gambling probe broke, according to ESPN. Beasley remains without a new contract.

On June 11, an attorney for Hazan Sports requested to extend the lawsuit to allow the parties to work on a settlement in anticipation of Beasley signing a new contract, according to ESPN.

From ESPN:

A potential deal was predicated on Beasley’s financial liquidity, “which is directly related to the…