Saddiq Bey leaves Atlanta to sign with Washington Wizards

After not receiving a qualifying offer, Saddiq Bey became an unrestricted free agent, but there was a possibility the Hawks would pick him up. Tonight, however, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi reported that Bey is signing a three-year, $20 million deal with the Washington Wizards.

Bey was a key player for the Hawks this season until he tore his ACL late in the season in a loss to the Pelicans. Atlanta acquired him at the 2023 trade deadline from the Detroit Pistons. The Hawks were unable to sign him to a rookie-level contract extension before the start of last season, which paved the way for him to be a restricted free agent this offseason.

Last season, Bey averaged 13.7 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Hawks. He played in 63 games, including 51 as a starter. He shot a career-low 31.1 percent from three-point range this season.

Earlier in the day, the Hawks re-signed forward Vit Krejci to a four-year, $10 million contract.

Due to injuries throughout the Hawks’ lineup, Krejci was forced to play a lot late in the season, especially as a starter. He played in 22 games last season, including 14 as a starter, averaging 6.1 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game. He shot 49 percent of his shots, including 41 percent from three-point range. At 6’4″ and 190 pounds, Krejci has become a wing with the size and shooting the Hawks lacked. His best performance came in the Hawks’ comeback win over the Boston Celtics, a game in which he scored 16 points, including 13 points in one quarter. He finished 4-7 from three-point range that night.

What could Krejci’s role be on this team? The Hawks have gotten bigger and better on the wing and offensively in the early parts of the offseason. They drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick and just acquired Dyson Daniels in the Dejounte Murray trade. De’Andre Hunter is also on the team. Krejci is young and showed potential last season, but that was also in a very small sample size. There’s no clear path for him to play a lot of minutes this season, but that could change. I think the Hawks made the right choice today in re-signing Krejci and I look forward to seeing him continue to develop in Atlanta.