Buddy Hield on Contract Talks with Kings: 'I'm Ready to Get This S--t Done'

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield isn't mincing words when it comes to his desire to sign a long-term extension ahead of the Oct. 21 deadline for rookie-scale extensions.

Hield told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that he wants to make Sacramento his home, saying, "I'm ready to get this s--t done":

"We need to get that done. I want to get that done, for sure. If it doesn't get done, things could go the other way. This is where I want to be, so it would be good for me to be here in Sacramento. If I'm their guy, I think they should make it happen already. I want to build a future here. I want to be here, but we have to see something. Something's gotta come to the table. We have a week and a half to see what that brings, but I want to be here."

If the Kings don't agree to an extension with Hield before Oct. 21, he'll hit restricted free agency after the 2019-20 season.

Hield, 26, has thrived in Sacramento since being acquired by the team in the DeMarcus Cousins trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017. He's averaged 16.9 points and 4.4 rebounds with the team in two-and-a-half seasons.

He had a career year in 2018-19, scoring 20.7 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from three. The pairing of Hield and De'Aaron Fox in Sacramento's backcourt is one of the NBA's most dynamic guard duos.

Hield wants to be paid as such.

"I know what I'm worth," he said. "I know what I bring to the table. I know what my value is. Not many guys can shoot the ball like me in the league. I make other guys better by just being on the court because they can't leave me, and if they leave me it's 45 percent my shot is going in, so I'm sure other teams would like that, too."

The issue for the Kings is that Hield isn't the only player they'll have to pay in the coming seasons. Bogdan Bogdanovic also faces restricted free agency if he isn't signed to an extension by Oct. 21, while Fox will be extension-eligible next year and Marvin Bagley will be eligible in 2021.

A max extension for Hield wouldn't be cheap. As Anderson wrote, Hield qualifies for "a four-year deal worth about $130.7 million or a five-year, designated-player extension worth up to about $170 million."

But Hield is incredibly valuable. Having a dynamic shooter to space the floor alongside the electrifying Fox is a natural pairing, and Hield would almost assuredly get big offers as a restricted free agent. The Kings could match those offers, but they'd have to pay up whether they extend him or wait until next summer.

"We are ... every day is working and Buddy's a big part of this team, and we'll figure something out down the road," general manager Vlade Divac told Anderson on Sept. 3. "We're working on it and we'll figure out something. Buddy is [a] very important piece to this franchise."

The deadline to figure it out is fast approaching.