The Golden State Warriors are reportedly in “serious talks” on a sign-and-trade deal to acquire Buddy Hield. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the news of the deal.
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Hield is a free agent, but the Warriors are in “deep discussions” to finalize a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers to bring the sharpshooting guard to Golden State.
Hield, a career 40 percent shooter from deep, would be a perfect replacement for Klay Thompson, who agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
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Hield, 31, was drafted No. 6 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016. He spent half a season in New Orleans before being shipped to the Sacramento Kings as part of the deadline deal involving DeMarcus Cousins.
Hield would remain in Sacramento until the deadline of the 2021-22 season, where he was sent to the Indiana Pacers as part of the blockbuster trade involving Tyrese Haliburton and Domantas Sabonis.
Then, Hield was in Indiana until the 2023-24 deadline, when he was traded to the 76ers. He was the headliner in that deal.
Across the Pacers and 76ers this past season, Hield averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from deep, and 88.1 percent from the free throw line. He played in an incredible 84 games due to switching teams midseason.
Hield has always been coveted due to his sharpshooting ability, especially from 3-point land. Hield averaged 2.6 made 3-pointers a game this past season while averaging 3.0 treys a game in his career.
Hield had a down year in terms of minutes per game in 2023-24 but has proven his ability to be a 20-point-per-game scorer. Hield’s career-high in points per game in a season came in 2018-19 when he averaged 20.7 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from deep en route to finishing fourth in Most Improved Player award voting. He’s averaged double-digit points per game in all eight of his seasons in the NBA and has averaged at least 15 points per game in five of those seasons.
Hield is not the defender that Thompson once was, but he’s one of the best shooters in the league, making him a near-perfect replacement for the other half of the “Splash Brothers” duo.
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This is a developing story, but it sounds like the Warriors are close to bringing one of the league’s best shooters to Golden State to play with superstar Stephen Curry.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.