Why Lakers Should Continue Pursuit of Buddy Hield amid Latest NBA Trade Rumors

There were rumors of the Los Angeles Lakers trading for Buddy Hield last offseason, then again earlier this summer. Yet the 29-year-old shooting guard has never worn the purple and gold during his six-year NBA career.

That could change soon, though, because the buzz is picking back up.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers have "re-engaged" with the Indiana Pacers in trade talks. And unsurprisingly, Hield appears to have been included in the latest conversations.

"Now, that would center around a Buddy Hield deal and could be a deal that would include Russell Westbrook if you're talking about also having Myles Turner in that deal, or perhaps it could be a secondary move where you would be talking about a Talen Horton-Tucker type of package to try to get Buddy Hield," McMenamin said during an appearance on NBA Today.

The last part of that comment from McMenamin is quite intriguing, because Los Angeles may not want to give up on Westbrook after only one season. If there's a way the Lakers could add Hield to a core that features Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that may be the best possible move for them to make.

Turner is a strong player who's been incredibly consistent over his first seven years in the NBA. The 26-year-old center has averaged more than 12 points per game in each of the past six seasons, and he could form a potent duo with Davis in Los Angeles' frontcourt.

However, if the Pacers require Westbrook to be in a deal that sends both Turner and Hield to the Lakers, that may not be the right move for Los Angeles to make. That's especially the case if the Lakers can land Hield without having to part with any part of their superstar trio.

In fact, Hield is the exact type of player who Los Angeles should be looking to add to complement its Big Three. The Lakers have reportedly been aiming to acquire outside shooters, and Hield would fit that bill.

Although Hield's three-point percentage was down a bit during the 2021-22 campaign (a career-low 36.6), he shot better than 39 percent from behind the arc in each of the previous five seasons. And he still averaged 3.2 made three-pointers per game last season, which he split between the Sacramento Kings and the Pacers.

If Los Angeles trades for Hield, though, it would likely end the rumors of the team making a deal for Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. However, that move is starting to seem less likely, as Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer shared on the Please Don't Aggregate This podcast that the Nets are becoming the "overwhelming favorite" to be Irving's team for the 2022-23 season.

It made more sense for the Lakers to trade for Hield than Irving, anyway. Now, it just needs to work out a deal. And if they can land Hield for a package centered around Horton-Tucker and draft picks, they should make it happen.