It's been quite the turnaround for Saddiq Bey.
The talented wing missed the entire 2024-25 NBA season with injury. But this season, he's on the court for the New Orleans Pelicans and shining brightly enough to be in the middle of trade conversations.
NBA insider Grant Afseth reports that Bey is in the crosshairs of teams who need help on the wing in trade season.
Bey hasn't looked any worse for wear after a torn ACL kept him out for a year.
He has started 21 of the 29 games he has played in, averaging 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Bey is shooting 33.3% from 3-point range, a bit below his career average, so he may even have some positive regression coming in that regard.
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Bey broke into the league in 2020 with the Pistons and had two-and-a-half solid seasons with Detroit before being traded to Atlanta, where he spent a year-and-a-half on the floor with the Hawks before his year-long injury.
He was once the No. 19 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft following a starring role at Villanova. Bey has always been highly thought of.
But he had never quite taken that next step, and his injury a year ago made it seem tougher to imagine Bey ever reaching his potential.
He may never be better than he is right now, but the player Bey is right now is quite a useful one, and he'd be a very solid trade acquisition for a team in contention.
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