Hawks Pending Free Agent Suffers Season-Ending Injury

The timing couldn't be worse for a player who's entering restricted free agency in the offseason, but the Atlanta Hawks have announced today that an MRI has revealed that forward Saddiq Bey has suffered a season-ending torn left ACL.

ESPN Sources: Atlanta Hawks F Saddiq Bey has suffered a season-ending torn left ACL. MRI revealed injury this morning. Bey — who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — has averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds. pic.twitter.com/DlPmzV3lhj

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2024

A torn ACL normally requires a full year's recovery, so Bey now enters the offseason facing a scenario where he could miss all of the 2024-25 season—without a contract. 

The ugly injury occurred in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, when Bey's knee bent awkwardly as he was going up for a shot. 

Believe it or not, he actually got up and shot his free throws before exiting for good. 

Saddiq Bey toughness is something you can never question. After being on the floor for a couple of minutes last night, he still stood up on the torn ACL and shot his FTs before checking out pic.twitter.com/Eu0GJ936Ok

— The Hood Therapist (@OhhMar24) March 11, 2024

He now joins a slew of other Hawks out of the lineup, including Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson and Kobe Bufkin.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old had established himself as a starter in the Hawks rotation this season, while averaging  13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 32.7 minutes a night. 

Bey was a first-round pick by the Detroit Pistons in 2020 (19th overall selection), and looked like a bright part of their future by his second season, when he averaged 16 points and 5.4 rebounds while starting all 82 games and playing 33 minutes tonight. But his usage and production dropped the following season in 2022-23, and he was dealt to the Hawks.