The visuals of Malik Beasley running around to get those rebounds that got him indicted remain vivid. While the NBA world still processes the event, there’s another shocking development. More like an origin story. Former NBA player Ed Davis is preparing to plead guilty in the same federal gambling case that has drawn Beasley into the spotlight.
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The 37-year-old’s planned plea change comes months after prosecutors accused him of helping turn Malik Beasley’s on-court performances into opportunities for illegal betting.
According to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, who reviewed court records, Davis intends to change his initial not-guilty plea to guilty.
The authorities indicted Davis in late June alongside Beasley and four other defendants on charges including sports bribery, wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. His attorney and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment, according to the report.
Davis’ connection to Beasley predates the alleged scheme.
The two played together for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2020-21 season and maintained a close relationship. Federal prosecutors allege that Davis later extended several loans to Beasley, who had accumulated millions of dollars in gambling losses despite earning millions during his NBA career.
The indictment alleges that this financial relationship became central to a scheme involving Beasley’s performances for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023-24 season. Prosecutors say Beasley provided Davis with information about whether he intended to over-perform or underperform in particular statistical categories.
Davis allegedly passed that information to other co-conspirators, allowing them to place wagers based on knowledge unavailable to the public.
One example cited by prosecutors came on January 26, 2024, when Milwaukee faced Cleveland. Beasley allegedly told Davis that he intended to stay below his usual rebounding output. His betting line was set at 3.5 rebounds, and he finished with three.
The indictment also identifies three other Bucks games in which prosecutors allege Beasley manipulated his statistical performance.
The alleged arrangement went beyond one player and one intermediary. Prosecutors named William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia and NBA agent Paolo Zamorano as co-defendants alongside Davis and Beasley. They allege the group used advance information about Beasley’s intended performances to place fraudulent wagers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars across multiple betting operators.
Davis allegedly served as a link between Beasley and other participants in the operation.
The indictment describes how information moved through the group, with some co-conspirators sharing it further to facilitate betting. It also alleges that the participants discussed Beasley’s performance in exchange for promised payments and financial benefits.
These remain allegations until resolved through the court proceedings.
Who are the other NBA players linked in the Malik Beasley case?
Only Beasley and Davis are named as NBA players among the six defendants in this specific case. Broader related federal probes have involved Jontay Porter, Damon Jones and Terry Rozier.
The investigation’s timeline also connects the case to the earlier scandal involving Jontay Porter. After a March 21, 2024 game, prosecutors allege, co-conspirator Ernesto Plascencia demanded compensation for lost wagers or another opportunity to manipulate Beasley’s performance.
Davis initially agreed to arrange the latter, but later backed away after reports emerged that Porter was under investigation for a similar performance-fixing scheme. The indictment further alleges that participants (Davis) subsequently took steps to conceal their involvement, including deleting messages.
Davis’ planned plea would add another former NBA player to the list of guilty pleas in federal gambling investigations.
Porter pleaded guilty in 2024 in his separate case.
Damon Jones pleaded guilty in April 2026 to wire fraud conspiracy involving the misuse of confidential NBA information and a separate rigged-poker operation. Beasley has also agreed to plead guilty, with his hearing scheduled for December 9.
Davis, a 13th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of North Carolina. He played 12 NBA seasons , last appearing before leaving the league in 2022.
The next step is Davis’ formal change-of-plea proceeding. Until that happens, he remains at the stage of intending to plead guilty.