Saddiq Bey did not receive a qualifying offer and is now an unrestricted free agent, but the Hawks could potentially bring him back, but tonight ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Bey will sign a three-year, $20 million contract with the Washington Wizards.
Free agent forward Saddiq Bey has agreed to a three-year, $20 million contract with the Washington Wizards. His agents, James Dunleavy and Jordan Gertler, Excel Basketball Tell that to ESPN. pic.twitter.com/aO8gETuGzN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 11, 2024
Bey was a key player for the Hawks this season before tearing his ACL in a season-ending game against the Pelicans. Atlanta acquired him from the Detroit Pistons at the 2023 trade deadline. The Hawks were unable to sign him to a rookie-level extension before the start of last season, paving the way for him to become a restricted free agent this offseason.
Bey averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Hawks last season, appearing in 63 games, starting 51 of them, and shooting a career-low 31.1 percent from three-point range this season.
Today, the Hawks re-signed forward Vit Krejci to a four-year, $10 million contract.
Due to injuries to the Hawks' entire team, Krejic was forced to play in many games late in the season, even starting a few games. Last season, he played in 22 games, starting 14 of them, averaging 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He shot 49% from the field and 41% from three-point range. At 6'8 and 195 pounds, Krejic was the size and shooting power the Hawks lacked on the wing. His best performance came in the Hawks' big comeback win over the Boston Celtics, when he scored 16 points, including 13 in the first quarter. He was 4-of-7 from three-point range that night.
What will Krejc's role be on this team? The Hawks got bigger and stronger as a wing and offensive anchor early in the offseason. They drafted Zachary Lisacher with the No. 1 overall pick and just acquired Dyson Daniels in a trade for Dejounte Murray. De'Andre Hunter is still on the team. Krejc 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 significant minutes this season, but that could change. I think the Hawks made the right call re-signing Krejc today and I'm excited to watch him continue to develop in Atlanta.
