The New Orleans Pelicans just got a little look under the hood of what Saddiq Bey’s potential contract extension could look like ahead of his October 23rd extension deadline. Former Pelican Naji Marshall signed a three-year $52.2 million extension Sunday with the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Marshall first came on the scene as an undrafted free agent in 2020, spending four years with the Pelicans before departing for Dallas in the 2024 offseason.
Marshall, similar to Bey, has always been a toolsy forward who has a solid handle, can score, defend from the point of attack, and is a strong rebounder. The 28-year-old is coming off a career year, averaging 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, similar to Bey, who posted a 17.7-point and 5.6 rebounds per game stat line last season.
With both wings coming off career years and providing similar skill sets, it’s safe to assume Bey could be slotted for a similar contract to the $17.7 million annual extension Marshall signed.
The market has been set for Saddiq Bey
When comparing Marshall and Bey side by side, the biggest difference is that Bey has a much stronger track record as a three-point shooter. This past season, Marshall shot 29.1 percent from three on 2.9 attempts per game, while Bey shot 36.7 percent from three on 5.7 attempts per game. Although Marshall is a stronger playmaker, the drop-off from Bey’s playmaking numbers to Marshall's isn’t great enough to cancel out the difference in their three-point production.
So with that considered, I’d say Bey’s camp might come out and ask for closer to that $20 million annual price point. If my prediction does come true, it’s time for Joe Dumars to package Bey off and look to flip him for a center upgrade or another positive perimeter shooter.
It’s not that Bey hasn’t played like a player that deserves a $20 million salary, because he totally has.
Last season, he was by far the team's most consistent offensive player, gave great effort on the glass and on defense, and acted like a pro. The problem is New Orleans already has two wings for $20+ million in Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III, and they don’t need a third. While Jones has regressed since signing his extension, players who can replicate Bey’s production are generally easier to find than elite defensive wings like Jones. Especially considering Jamahl Mosley is a defensive-minded head coach, Jones could be due for a massive resurgence.
Like most things with the Pelicans this offseason, their complacency with figuring out Bey’s extension has backed them into a corner. With Marshall being a similar player and getting extended by Dallas, the market for Bey has basically been set by the Mavericks for Joe Dumars and the Pelicans front office. If New Orleans wants to retain Bey long term, they are going to have to go north of $17 million annually, and that’s a risky range for a guy coming off an outlier career year.
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