Minnesota Timberwolves security guard Malik Beasley was banned for 12 unpaid games after being found guilty of a felony of threat of violence following an incident last September, the NBA announced Thursday night.
“As an organization, we fully support the decision of the NBA today,” said the Timberwolves president of basketball operations. Gersson Roses, in a statement released shortly after the suspension was announced. “As we partner with Malik to further his development as a player and as a person, we look forward to seeing his growth.”
Beasley’s suspension starts on Saturday when the Timberwolves are in Washington to play against the Washington Wizards. He is eligible to return to court on March 27, when Minnesota hosts the Houston Rockets.
Beasley agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this month in which the felony charges against him were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea. As a result, Beasley was sentenced to 120 days in jail, which could be served in the county asylum or home confinement, after the NBA season ended in mid-May.
“We are very pleased with this result, which will allow Malik to continue to work to become a better person and make better decisions,” said Beasley’s attorney, Steven Haney, in a statement obtained by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach after the statement made earlier this month was agreed. .
In a statement obtained by Schlabach last September, Plymouth police said officers had been called to Beasley’s home for a weapons offense. Informants told officers they had stopped their car in front of the house, and a “suspect approached their vehicle, hit the window, pointed a gun at them, and advised them to leave the premises.”
“As the victims drove away, the suspect was observed holding the gun to his shoulder and pointing it at his vehicle,” the police statement said.
Agents established a perimeter to locate the individual and, according to the statement, detected a strong odor of marijuana. A vehicle tried to leave the premises and was stopped by the police. The three people in the car were arrested and later released. A man, who identified himself as the owner of the house, yelled at officers outside.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the property and found narcotics and numerous weapons, one of which was stolen, police said.
Beasley was traded to Minnesota last February and signed a four-year $ 60 million deal with the Timberwolves in the off-season. He was one of the few bright spots of a terrible season for Minnesota, averaging 20.5 points per game and a 40 percent shot from a three-point range.
The Timberwolves are 7-26, the worst in the league, having lost six games in a row, as well as 10 of their last 11 games. They haven’t won two games in a row since the first two of the season. The team fired the coach Ryan Saunders after Sunday night’s loss to the New York Knicks, and signed Chris Finch, who had worked for the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach, as a permanent replacement for Saunders the following day.