Saddiq Bey signs a free agent deal with Hawks rival

Bey averaged a modest 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 63 games for the Hawks last year but ended up tearing his ACL toward the end of the season. It was a tough break for the 25-year-old. He was surely in line for a payday much more significant than $20 million and missed out because of an injury at the end of the season.

Bey came out of Villanova as a first-round pick with the Pistons and was traded to the Hawks at the 2023 deadline, providing Quinn Snyder with a reliable sharpshooter, especially from the corner. If I’m Atlanta, I’m giving Bey less than $7 million per year even if he’s coming off a major injury.

For the final two years of his deal, Bey will be at a bargain at that price. The Hawks were never going into the luxury tax, though. It’s all wishful thinking. Tony Ressler has done everything in his power not to pay the luxury tax penalties, and Saddiq Bey wasn’t going to be the piece that forced his hand.

It sucks for Hawks fans, but this is the reality we live in at this juncture.