The Washington Wizards are entering an exciting period of the 2024 offseason. Washington is shortly removed from selecting French big man Alexandre Sarr with their second overall draft pick. Moreover, the Wizards added stout help for Kyle Kuzma with a decisive NBA Free Agency move on former Villanova star Saddiq Bey.
Washington and Bey have agreed on a three-year, $20 million contract, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The 25-year-old forward is coming off a promising tenure with the Atlanta Hawks and should provide a notable boost to Washington's wing attack.
Saddiq Bey started his career with the Detroit Pistons in 2020 when the team selected him with the 19th pick in the 2020 Draft. The former Villanova Wildcat entered the league as a highly-touted 3-and-D prospect, and he did not disappoint. Bey averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and shot 38.0 percent on his three-pointers during his rookie year. This set him up for impressive improvement.
In his second year with the Pistons, Bey averaged a career-high 16.1 points and played all 82 regular season games. He maintained steady production for one more year with Detroit before joining the Hawks for the 2022-23 season. However, Bey played just 25 games in his debut Atlanta season due to injury.
Bey returned strong in 2023-24, averaging 13.7 points, a career-high 6.5 rebounds, and 0.8 steals through 65 games. The ex-Villanova star looks to continue his strong play with the Wizards, who are rounding up as much talent as they can.
One of Saddiq Bey's new teammates will be Kyle Kuzma, Washington's reigning leading soccer. With Bey in the lineup, Kuzma will have less defensive pressure and can hone in on his scoring strengths. The Wizards are being intentional with their team support during the NBA Free Agency period. It will be exciting to see the rest of the offseason moves they make.
Wizards continue to shape roster for 2024-25
Washington's move on Bey follows their $11 million decision on Landry Shamet. The Wizards declined Shamet's contract option, allowing him to enter free agency.
Landry Shamet joined the Wizards for the 2023-24 season after spending two years with the Phoenix Suns. The 27-year-old comes off a year with averages of 7.1 points per game. Shamet shot 33.8 percent on his three-pointers in 2023-24, but he is a career 38.4 percent shooter. It will be interesting to see if he takes a pay cut to return to the Wizards or joins another team during the 2024 NBA Free Agency Period.
One of the most interesting storylines to follow for Washington's offseason has been the status of Kyle Kuzma. As mentioned, Kuzma is a go-to scorer. Yet, his stature does not come without trade rumors.
“Four names that have been consistently linked to the Lakers on the trade market have been Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cam Johnson,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on July 3. “And as I recently reported at The Athletic, I’ve heard that the Lakers have held trade talks with Portland, Brooklyn, and Utah among other teams in recent days. So the Portland and Brooklyn talks would align with those players being on the trade market, and at this point, it’s a matter of haggling over picks and which players are involved.”
How will the Wizards handle Kuzma and the rest of the roster amid their search for an improved showing in 2024-25?
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