The 2025-26 season left a lot to be desired for New Orleans Pelicans fans, but one player who exceeded all expectations was Saddiq Bey. The 27-year-old was coming off an ACL injury that sidelined him the entire 2024-25 season and was viewed as a throw-in as part of the Jordan Poole-for-CJ McCollum trade made in the 2025 offseason. Neither of these things stopped him from having a career year or becoming New Orleans’ most consistent player this season.
This season, Bey averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, while shooting 36.7 percent from three and playing 72 games. That production, paired with the professionalism, mentality, and attitude he brings to every game and every rep, makes an extension something that should be at the top of New Orleans’ priority list this offseason. Luckily for Joe Dumars and the rest of the New Orleans front office, it appears Bey is more than open to staying put long term with the Pelicans.
"My close circle and family know I want to be here as long as possible. A lot of that stuff is business but for me personally I want to be here. I love it here. It would be a blessing if I could be here as long as possible"Saddiq Bey
It would be one thing if Bey were just a great player for the Pelicans, but it becomes a whole other thing to hear him openly express a desire to stay. Not extending him, especially given these comments, would be a total swing and a miss for Dumars and company.
Bey's commitment should make the Pelicans commit to him
As of now, Bey has one year left on his deal, worth roughly $6.5 million, which, frankly, may be the best contract in the league right now. However, if he can keep up this production for another season, his price tag is only going to grow higher and higher. As of now, he is eligible for a four-year extension at an annual salary of roughly $23.25 million per season. While that may be too risky a commitment after one season, getting an extension done soon would help lower the chance of having to give Bey that max-level deal.
Extensions are all about timing, and for the Pelicans, it appears that diving into talks with Bey as soon as possible would be most beneficial.
Bey has a skill set as a three-and-D wing that, no matter what the future holds for New Orleans, can bring value as a trade chip or a key rotational piece.
Finding talent like this is hard for small-market teams, and convincing players to stay is even harder. This is exactly why, after hearing Bey express his commitment to the organization, the city, and the fans, the decision feels very obvious.
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