The NBA trade deadline is just three days away, and the New Orleans Pelicans have a ton of decisions to make. With the team holding a 13-38 record, the front office will have to decide whether to be sellers, buyers, or stand pat. However, no matter what path the Pelicans decide to take, Saddiq Bey has made it clear he deserves to stay.
All season long, Bey has been a consistent, mostly healthy scoring punch in the team's starting five. While his averages of 16.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game have been impressive for a player widely viewed as a throw-in when the Pelicans acquired him, his play as of late has been on a different level.
Over his last five games, Bey has been averaging 26.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, while also shooting an incredible 50 percent from three.
Although the Pelicans could sell high at the deadline, this level of production could be hard to find, making keeping him through Feb. 5 crucial.
Why Saddiq Bey fits the Pelicans’ timeline
With the Pelicans in somewhat of a rebuild/retool situation, it's time they join one of the league's most successful trends: not bottoming out and surrounding their young players with talent to help them develop. This season, we've seen the Nets do it with Michael Porter Jr., and the Wizards acquire Trae Young with the hope of doing the same. While Bey isn't an All-Star-calibre player, his skill set still allows him to have a similar impact on a young core as Porter Jr. and Young.
Bey is a well-rounded wing who can dribble, pass, shoot, and defend, making him a natural fit alongside the franchise's two most important building blocks, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
With Bey under contract for another two seasons after the 2025-26 campaign at a friendly price point of $6.33 million annually, it gives the front office all the more reason to hold on to him.
As the trade deadline approaches, the Pelicans’ priority should be clearing room for the growth of their young core, not parting with players who actively support it. Saddiq Bey's production, versatility, and team-friendly contract make him an ideal bridge player to connect the present and the future. Trading him now would create a hole that New Orleans could struggle to replace for years. In a season full of uncertainty, Bey has provided certainty, and that alone should be enough for the Pelicans to keep him past Feb. 5.