The Washington Wizards have just made their second signing in free agency. The first was Jonas Valanciunas, a veteran center who they got on a three-year, $30 million deal to mentor young rookie Alex Sarr. However, their second signing is a 25-year-old forward who they signed for three years and $20 million. That player is Saddiq Bey.
Free agent F Saddiq Bey has agreed on a three-year, $20 million contract with the Washington Wizards, his agents James Dunleavy and Jordan Gertler of @Excelbasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/aO8gETuGzN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 11, 2024
Wizards Sign Saddiq Bey To $20 Million Deal
Bey is a relatively young NBA player. After a successful college basketball career at Villanova, Bey was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. He played with the team for two and a half seasons before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in the middle of the 2022-23 season. Bey proved to be a good NBA player in his first few seasons; he finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 and put up 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in just his second year. However, in Atlanta, things weren’t so hot. Bey’s numbers stayed relatively consistent, but a team that was supposed to be making the playoffs struggled to do just that.
To add to the rough year, Bey tore his ACL midway through the season. An ACL tear is a severe injury and one that rendered him out for the remainder of the season. Before the injury, Bey averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 63 games played for the Hawks that season.
Bey Fits Perfectly with the Wizards
Bey and the Wizards are a great fit together. To start off, Bey is from the DC area originally. Before Villanova, Bey attended Sidwell Friends, an elite private school in Washington DC. He was a four-star there, and the best player from the class of 2018 to come out of DC. Having roots in DC makes the move a much easier transition for Bey.
Additionally, the team fit is very good. Bey needs to be out of the spotlight, a place where he can quietly recover from his injury until he’s ready to dominate. People aren’t expecting much from the Wizards this year, so Washington can definitely be that place. However, even more importantly, Bey fits the Wizards’ timeline. At 25 years old, Bey has yet to enter the prime of his NBA career and is still young. He can grow with the Wizards core as they gain valuable experience together. The Wizards also aren’t particularly strong at forward, having just traded away Deni Avdija. Kyle Kuzma remains in trade talks, leaving them with Bilal Coulibaly, Corey Kispert (more of a shooting guard), and rookie Kyshawn George. As soon as Bey finishes healing, he can enter the Wizards lineup and have an immediate impact.
