Lakers left in disbelief as forgotten trade option continues to play like a star

The Los Angeles Lakers have been in the market for 3-and-D players for the better part of the past five seasons. Since parting with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Lakers have struggled to find the wing talent they've needed to bring cohesion to their rotations.

One of the players whom Lakers fans have inevitably seen pop up as a potential trade option may be making the purple and gold wonder if they should've pursued him: Saddiq Bey.

Bey, 26, is on his third team in six NBA seasons. That would seemingly paint the picture of a player who isn't necessarily an ideal target for a championship hopeful. A career 35.2 percent three-point shooter who has shown the ability to defend at a high level, however, there's talent to explore.

Bey has proven exactly that in 2025-26 with averages of 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.0 three-point field goals made on .455/.355/.860 shooting.

Bey has taken his game to an even higher level since the calendar turned over to 2026. Since Jan. 1, he's averaging 21.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.6 three-point field goals made on .477/.408/.915 shooting.

In his most recent game, Bey opened eyes all over the NBA by recording 42 points and seven assists on 14-of-20 shooting from the field.

Though Bey was always a questionable fit in speculative Lakers trade conversations, one can't help but acknowledge that he's doing just about everything Los Angeles needs from a supporting player.

Speculative Lakers trade option Saddiq Bey is averaging 21.1 PPG in 2026

It's been a consistently strong season for Bey, who has been a rare bright spot for the New Orleans Pelicans. He's scoring with proficiency at all three levels and providing an even less common sense of defensive quality for New Orleans.

A respectable three-point shooter who offers defensive versatility and the ability to create his own offense, Bey could've anchored a Lakers second unit that's tied for dead last in points per game.

Furthermore, Bey ranks in the 93rd percentile in defensive positional versatility, per Basketball Index. He can defend all three frontcourt positions with intriguing levels of success, including the fact that he ranks in the 99th percentile in post defense, the 90th percentile in screener mobile defense, and the 71st percentile in perimeter isolation defense.

Compounded by the fact that Bey excels at getting to the rim, ranking in the 90th percentile in rim shot creation, he could've added a new layer to the Lakers' gameplan.

Thankfully, the Lakers are at least partially vindicated for passing on Bey when factoring in the matter of how he'd fit their biggest need. He's not necessarily known for his defense at the point of attack against wings, which means he wouldn't have resolved the Lakers' primary defensive issue.

One simply can't help but acknowledge that a player who has been commonly mentioned in speculative conversations as a potential Lakers target is going off in New Orleans.