It never did seem like 31-year-old Buddy Hield fit the timeline of the Indiana Pacers core.
On the outer edges of his prime, the eight-year NBA veteran offered the Pacers a skillset that they lacked in their perimeter group: elite marksmanship. A career 40.1 percent 3-point shooter, Hield has knocked down 1,880 career 3-pointers. This number has only been surpassed by 21 players all-time and nine active players, making Hield one of the best 3-point threats in NBA history.
However, even that superlative didn’t make the Pacers want to keep him. According to Hield, he wanted to sign a contract extension with Indiana. The Pacers had different plans.
Buddy Hield Opens Up About Pacers Departure
According to Yahoo Sports insider Jake Fischer, “Talks between [Buddy Hield’s] representation and the Pacers’ front office on an extension didn’t garner much momentum this fall.” His agent, the Icona Agency’s Diana Day, then “requested Indiana trade Hield before his eighth season even began.”
As Hield puts it, “If a team doesn’t want to re-sign you… you know how it is. It’s the game.”
“They say they want to sign you and then after it doesn’t happen, the conversations don’t really keep going,” Hield continues “… It’s like talking to a wall, and nobody’s responding back. But after that, you’re under contract, and you have to, like, honor your contract.”
Discussing the atmosphere after being shunned by the Pacers’ brass, Hield described it as “one of those deals where you just gotta come in every day and be professional.” Yet, “the whole vibe was so different.” Thus began the beginning of the end for Hield’s time in Indiana.
Just before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, the Pacers sent Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was officially a three-team trade that also involved the San Antonio Spurs. However, the deal was headlined by Hield, who would be joining an even more successful East team.
Now having played 11 games with the Sixers, 11 of them starts, Hield has gotten comfortable in his new digs.
He’s averaging 15.5 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 42.2 percent shooting from 3 since joining Philly. Establishing himself as one of their most important players, he may have found his final destination. After all, for all the criticisms of Sixers president Daryl Morey, he’s notoriously fond of analytics. Consequently, Hield’s 3-point prowess would seem to jive well with Morey’s basketball philosophy.
Sticking Around for the Long Haul
There are few guarantees with Daryl Morey. That may be the case with any business executive, but Morey’s integrity has come into question multiple times over the years. Nonetheless, Buddy Hield knows the advantages he provides are exactly what the Sixers want and need.
“You want to go to a team that wants you,” Hield says. “You don’t want to go to a team where you’re a piece and it’s like, ‘We’re gonna try this out.’ “Other teams are trapping [Joel] Embiid, so having a 3-point shooter to keep guys honest, I know the reason why I was traded here.”
That’s a far cry from what he experienced in Indiana.
Though Hield was fond of his time and teammates there, the Indiana Pacers were contending with a traffic jam in their backcourt rotation. Too much talent for too few minutes. As a result, Hield was never certain about his role on the team.
The only question with the Sixers seems to be what decision they’ll make this offseason. Hield will be a free agent, as he’s on the final season of his four-year, $94 million contract. Philadelphia now has his Bird Rights and the ability to retain him, no matter their cap situation.
All that said, Hield’s showing up to and through the 2024 NBA Playoffs will be the primary factor in whether he’s re-signed.
To that end, the postseason is now a little more than a month away. Soon, his future in Philadelphia will become clearer. The veteran sniper just has to keep his eye on the target for a little while longer.
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