When the New Orleans Pelicans made the executive decision to trade CJ McCollum to the Washington Wizards, the splash player that would be returned to the bayou was Jordan Poole. Poole, whose claim to fame was his performance during the Golden State Warriors championship run in 2022, is expected to stabilize a backcourt that’s lacked a consistent lead facilitator since Lonzo Ball‘s departure in 2021. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he isn’t the only player the Pelicans received in that transaction that will leave their mark in Crescent City.
Pelicans Jordan Poole Trade Has Surprise Benefit For Crescent City
Early in 2025-26 training camp, Pelicans head coach Willie Green has seen the value in Saddiq Bey‘s game. A four-year pro with a thoroughly built 6-foot-7 frame, Bey sat out all of last season after tearing his ACL late in March 2024. As a result, he wasn’t much more than an afterthought when he was included in the package that brought Poole to New Orleans. However, now that he has his legs back under him, Bey’s versatility has changed that perception.
“He’s sort of that Swiss Army Knife type of player,” Green says. “He can play multiple positions, score, post up, defend, rebound.”
Jeremiah Fears, who the Pelicans selected seventh overall in the 2025 NBA Draft adds that Bey “brings a lot to our team. He can shoot the ball really well, really nice frame. He can (defend) and rebound.”
25-year-old building block Trey Murphy III believes that Bey “complements a lot of guys very well. Goes out there and plays defense, plays his role, hits shots and can playmake a little bit.”
Saddiq Bey In Line For Steady Minutes
The overlap in the analyses of Green, Fears and Murphy inherently emphasizes the potential impact that Bey could have. Indeed, Bey has already started in both of the Pelicans preseason appearances. On Saturday, he had his best outing. In 21 minutes, he recorded 21 points on 6-9 shooting from the field (4-6 from 3) against Melbourne United. He also added six rebounds and three assists, ending the contest with a team-high +27.
21 points.
6 rebounds.
4 triples.
3 assists.Saddiq Bey was a standout for New Orleans tonight… they go 2-0 in the NBA Melbourne Series
pic.twitter.com/NyDVm9h48Z
— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2025
It must be noted that Herb Jones didn’t suit up in either contest. An upper-end 3-and-D forward, Jones has started in 241 of the 250 games that he’s played in the NBA. As a result, it’s highly probable that he’d have been starting alongside Murphy and Zion Williamson in those games.
Nevertheless, it appears as if New Orleans plans to give Bey steady minutes in the 2025-26 regular season and beyond. If so, he’ll find himself in a forward rotation that includes Murphy, Jones and Williamson in the short-term. As his contract ends in 2026, he could even be setting himself up for an extended stay.
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