The Los Angeles Lakers are now one of four teams being linked to a possible Buddy Hield trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Indiana was willing to part ways with its sharpshooter after failing to come to terms with him on a contract extension.
Hield, 30, shot 42.5 percent from beyond the arc last season while playing in 80 games. He is a reliable marksman from three and is rarely injured — making him a valuable piece for any title contender looking to improve its shooting.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, L.A. is one of four teams to watch when it comes to a potential Hield trade.
“The Lakers were long rumored for Buddy Hield… You look at teams like [the] Dallas [Mavericks], [Philadelphia 76ers], [and] Milwaukee [Bucks]. Those are the types of teams that could definitely use a shooter like Buddy Hield,” Charania noted.
Hield has made his feelings on becoming a Laker perfectly clear over the years.
That said, it is hard to see a scenario where L.A. gets the sharpshooter. The front office has been quite busy already this summer, adding Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood.
In addition, the team also re-signed Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura and gave both Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt contract extensions.
The Bucks, given all of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent comments about leaving, might be a good destination for Hield. He would space the floor nicely and give Milwaukee another offensive threat to keep defenses honest when Jrue Holiday inevitably goes cold offensively.
Dallas makes some sense as well, given the way defenses were collapsing on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving by the end of last year.
Philly is also a logical landing spot, considering James Harden’s uncertain status.
There are a lot of good options on the board. Where will Hield ultimately end up when it’s all said and done? Time will tell.
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