Miami Heat Could Target Forward Saddiq Bey In Free Agency When It Opens Sunday Night

One player the Miami Heat can explore during the NBA free agency period is Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey.

The Hawks are not expected to extend a qualifying offer to Bey, making him an unrestricted free agent. Teams can negotiate with players starting Sunday at 6 p.m., but they cannot sign contracts until Monday morning. Last year the Heat made no major changes in the offseason, preferring to keep most of the same lineup.

Bey, who is recovering from a torn left ACL sustained in March, is entitled to a qualifying offer of $6.5 to $8.49 million. The news of Atlanta not extending the offer was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Saturday morning.

Bey averaged 13.7 and 6.5 rebounds last season. He played a significant role in the Hawks’ frontcourt due to injuries.

If he can recover for this season, the Heat could use him off the bench to play either forward spot like he did with the Hawks. A first-team All-Rookie selection in 2021, Bey was drafted No. 19 by the Detroit Pistons.

The Heat are set at the small forward position with Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez, Jr. However Bey has proven he is a reliable swingman when healthy and could be a good player off the bench.

Bey was playing decent last season until the injury. He averaged 13.7 points, but was shooting a career-low 31.6 percent from behind the arc.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at [email protected]

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