Malik Beasley sees a future for the Pistons, and he'd like to be a part of it.
The sharp-shooting wing signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Detroit last summer and has been one of the best bench players in the NBA, for a Pistons team eyeing the playoffs for the first time in six years. His affordable contract and impressive numbers -- he's drained the second most threes in the league this season -- made him a trade target ahead of Thursday's deadline.
And Beasley knew it. Pistons president of basketball ops Trajan Langdon said Friday that Beasley approached him a couple weeks ago and said, "Please don't trade me. I want to be here."
"Which means a lot," Langdon said. "When we talked in the summer about players that we're going after and players that we want on the roster, we want guys that want to be here. And he's a guy that has said from day one that he wants to be in Detroit, has continued to echo that, and with his actions and his play has shown that."
Beasley, 28, survived the trade deadline but will be a free agent this summer either way. The NBA dictates that players on contracts of less than three years aren't eligible for extensions. Still, it's safe to assume that Langdon and the Pistons will look to reward Beasley with a longer-term deal in the offseason.
"We're excited that he's here, we're excited that he still wants to be here, and he's done a tremendous job," Langdon said. "When I talk about positivity and being team-first and competing between the lines, he's done that this season and he's been a great example for our young guys."
