The Indiana Pacers and Buddy Hield have failed to reach an agreement for an extension. Instead, they are now looking to trade the shooting guard as training camp for the 2023-24 NBA season nears. The Lakers should be prepared to pursue a trade for Pacers’ Hield.
A former NBA executive told NBA Analysis Network that “the Lakers are certainly one team that will be talking to the Pacers about Buddy Hield.” In fact, “they’ve remained very interested in him over the years.”
Hield is one of the premier shooting guards in the league. He is a career 40% three point shooter. It would make sense for a Lakers team who shot only 34% from three last season to pursue him.
The Lakers have previously been linked to Hield. In the 2021 off-season the Kings were very close to trading Hield to the Lakers before the Russell Westbrook move. So, in this case it would be a second chance for Los Angeles to capitalize on a player they feel very highly about.
Senior writer for the Athletic Sam Vecenie sees Hield as possibly the second best shooter in the league behind Stephen Curry. He points to the fact that “there are only 12 times in history where a player has averaged 40% from three on eight three-point attempts a game for a season.” Hield has done that over the last six seasons.
It is no question that the Lakers could use a sharpshooter like Hield. He averages 16 points a game for his career and could be a spark off the bench. Also, he can be an elite catch and shoot player averaging 2.5 three-pointers made last season. That was good for third in the league.
The question becomes who they give up to get Hield. He is on the last year of his contract worth $18.5 million. That is a hefty price to pay and the Lakers could wait until he becomes a free agent the following season. However, it doesn’t become impossible to find a way to get him in a Lakers uniform.
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