Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Malik Beasley, who excelled down the stretch after joining the team in a mid-season trade, was arrested over the weekend. As reported by ESPN and multiple other outlets, the 23-year-old was apprehended on Saturday after allegedly brandishing a firearm at multiple people who later called the police.
Law enforcement officials subsequently obtained a search warrant and — after investigating Beasley’s residence in Plymouth, Minnesota — reportedly found guns as well as marijuana. As a result, the NBA player now faces felony charges of possession of a controlled substance/narcotics and receiving/concealing stolen property, per Hennepin County Jail records.
Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN ‘s Mark Schlabach that his client was released from custody on Sunday and has yet to be formally charged. A criminal complaint is pending, however.
Although the Plymouth Police Department declined to comment on the situation — as it is an open case — Haney also relayed that “multiple individuals were present at the residence” and that “the allegations against Malik will be defended vigorously.”
According to TMZ , Beasley purportedly approached a vehicle that had stopped in front of his house and pointed a gun at those inside while telling them to vacate the premises. The alleged victims claim that the former first-round selection of the Denver Nuggets in the 2016 NBA Draft continued to point the weapon at them as they were driving away.
Once on the scene, law enforcement reportedly set up a perimeter around the house, stopping a vehicle that had attempted to leave the property. Per TMZ ‘s sources, officers eventually found several guns inside the domicile — one which was allegedly stolen — in addition to the narcotics while executing the search warrant.
Following the arrest, the Timberwolves — who are currently in the midst of a voluntary mini-camp — issued a brief statement.
“We are aware of the situation involving Malik Beasley and are in the process of gathering information at this time,” the statement read.
While Beasley’s professional career got off to a slow start following a strong, one-year collegiate stint at Florida State, the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder has made major strides over the last two seasons. He broke out during the 2018-19 campaign with the Nuggets, playing in 81 games (18 of which were starts) and averaging 11.3 points per contest, per Basketball Reference .
He continued to hold down a spot in Denver’s rotation in 2019-20, when the team elected to deal him to the Wolves as part of a four-team, 12-player trade in February. In 14 games with his new club following the move, Beasley played the best basketball of his career, putting up 21 points and five rebounds per contest, while hitting 43 percent of his three-point shots.
As shared earlier this week by The Inquisitr , Fansided ‘s Ben Beecken mused about Zach LaVine returning to Minnesota in exchange for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft during on appearance on the Locked On Wolves podcast, insinuating that the Chicago Bulls star is a better version of Beasley.
