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Timberwolves' Beasley facing felony charges

[October 30, 2020] Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley is facing felony charges that stem from an alleged assault-rifle pointing incident outside his home.

Beasley, 23, has been charged with threat of violence/reckless disregard as well as fifth degree drug possession. Each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The Hennepin County District Attorney's office announced the charges on Thursday.

On Sept. 26, Beasley allegedly had the encounter with a couple as they drove through his neighborhood in Plymouth, Minn., on a tour of homes.

According to a report from the district attorney's office, the couple, who were with their 13-year-old child, stopped in front of Beasley's home to get their bearings and find the next home on the list. They heard a tapping on the window and saw a man pointing an assault rifle at them. He then said, "Get the f-k off my property," according to the report.

Police obtained a search warrant for the home and found three firearms, including an assault rifle, as well as more than 42.5 grams of leafy marijuana, the district attorney's office said. Marijuana in that form is illegal in the state.

The search warrant was issued to allow police to look for both the weapon as well as marijuana, based on the smell emanating from the house.

Both members of the couple on the home tour identified Beasley in a photo lineup, and surveillance videos inside of house showed Beasley grabbing the assault rifle and walking outside the house while wearing the same clothing -- a black hooded sweatshirt and grey sweatpants - that the couple described, per the report.

The Timberwolves issued a brief statement on Thursday.

"We are aware of the charges involving Malik Beasley. We take these allegations seriously and will let the legal process run its course," the team said.

Beasley's wife, Montana Helena Yao, 23, also was charged with fifth-degree drug possession.

She told police that the marijuana was hers and said she bought it from a medical marijuana dispensary, but couldn't remember where the store was and couldn't produce any proof that it was prescribed for her.

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley (5) dribbles the ball while Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) defends in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

Beasley is a restricted free agent, and Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta told reporters on Wednesday that he anticipated the team would have enough money to re-sign both Beasley and forward Juancho Hernangomez. Minnesota holds the Bird rights for both players and can go over the salary cap to retain them, and he said he expected the team would be able to sign the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft and still say under the luxury tax threshold.

"Essentially we're not going to be a real big player in terms of cap room," Gupta said. "But we do have plenty of room below the tax. We've got our own free agents with Malik and Juancho so with the Bird rights we'll be able to re-sign those guys, and now with a No. 1 pick, that's a bigger salary slot than maybe we would've expected prior to the lottery.

"But we still feel good about having plenty of room below the tax to bring those guys back and also add in free agency as well."

The Denver Nuggets selected Beasley with the No. 19 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Timberwolves in February as part of a four-team deal.

While he came off the bench for the Nuggets, he started all 14 games he played in for the Timberwolves before the coronavirus pandemic shut down play in March. He averaged 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 33.1 minutes per game -- all well above his career statistics.

In 220 games (33 starts) in the NBA, he has averaged 8.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.4 minutes.

The Timberwolves finished the 2019-20 season with a 19-45 record. They didn't qualify to take part in the season reboot in the NBA bubble near Orlando.

--Field Level Media

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