Buddy Hield Trade Rumors: Kings 'Not Yet Shopping' SG Entering NBA Offseason
The Sacramento Kings are reportedly not "shopping" Buddy Hield despite the guard's frustration with his role on the team.
Sean Deveney of Forbes spoke to one general manager who said the team is not active in trade talks regarding Hield, despite regular speculation that he could be on the move this offseason:
"I think it makes a lot of sense, them trying to move him, start with a clean slate, they were better without him in the starting five, all of that. The logic is there. But there does not seem to be a lot of action there, not yet at least. It is not something where they seem to be shopping him very actively. Maybe it would be better to wait, to see how the season starts, but I don't get the sense that they're out there really laying the groundwork for a deal. They're just not yet shopping him."
Hield is clearly unhappy in Sacramento, having clashed with head coach Luke Walton over his move to the bench and having contentious contract negotiations with the team. While the Kings lavished him with a $94 million extension in October 2019, the relationship remained frayed throughout the 2019-20 season.
"Y'all know how I talk," Hield said of his feelings regarding his future in Sacramento. "Y'all know how I feel with all the stuff. Y'all can read me well. So I'll let y'all answer that for yourselves."
Hield, by any measure, underperformed his contract last season. He averaged 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists—fine numbers, but his shooting splits took a significant drop from 2018-19, and he remained a glaring minus on defense. Already 27, it's fair to wonder whether Hield's topped out as an empty-calories scorer whose best role is as a sixth man moving forward.
New Kings general manager Monte McNair does not see it that way.
"Buddy is an incredible young talent," McNair said. "I think we all know in this league, spacing is of the utmost importance, and Buddy is one of the elite shooters in the league, and we're going to be able to utilize that skill set as we implement our system."
Even if McNair is publicly supporting Hield for now, that does not mean a trade is out of the question. If a team comes along with the right package, odds are the Kings would have no choice but to consider the move rather than go into next season with a potential personality conflict on their hands.
