Next season will be huge for Saddiq Bey of the Detroit Pistons, who will be entering his third year with a lot to prove.
Bey has looked like an All-Star at times and had some huge games after a slow start to the season, including a 51-point outburst against the Orlando Magic.
We know Saddiq Bey is a workhorse who is going to put in the hours to get better and he does have some things to work on.
He needs to be a more consistent shooter from 3-point range and get his average closer to 40 percent than the 34 percent he shot this season, which was a drop off from his rookie year.
I think he will, as Bey was working on various parts of his offensive game at the beginning of last season, which probably hurt his overall shooting efficiency.
Bey will be eligible for his rookie extension after this season, and there has already been widespread speculation about what he is going to get and whether he is truly a max guy.
But the floor for his next deal has been set, the rest is just up to Saddiq.
Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey’s next contract
The recent Keldon Johnson contract for the San Antonio Spurs probably set the market for what Saddiq Bey can expect as a minimum.
Johnson got 4 years/$80 million, which is more or less minimum wage for an NBA starter (must be nice) and I think Bey is going to get at least that as long as he stays healthy and progresses.
But if he makes a big leap this season and becomes a consistent 20 ppg scorer while shooting a high percentage on high-volume threes, he could be looking at much more.
Bey will be eligible for 25 percent of the salary cap as a player with up to six years of experience, so if he plays well, could bump himself up from $20 million per season to five or even 10 million more.
Saddiq is going to get a big payday either way, but should have extra motivation going into this season to prove that he is a max guy.