The Sacramento Kings were a big storyline heading towards the NBA trade deadline given that they were expected to leverage some key assets on their roster in order to add another high-level talent to pair with De’Aaron Fox.
They did just that on Tuesday, as the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a future second-round pick, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Trading Haliburton was a very shocking move for the Kings to make, but Buddy Hield being on the move was predictable. This was basically the second time that Hield had been traded from the Kings, the first time being with the Lakers, a deal that was shut down at the last minute due to Los Angeles acquiring Russell Westbrook instead.
Hield’s relationship with the Kings’ front-office had been shaky for years now and given that he is still owed $61.5 million through the 2023-24 season, right now made the most sense for Sacramento to trade him, especially in a deal for Sabonis.
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Now currently a member of the Indiana Pacers, Buddy Hield has a lot to offer to his new franchise, a team that is currently very thin in terms of outside production.
Hield could absolutely be a core scorer in the Pacers lineup for years to come, but Indiana is not done making moves just yet ahead of the deadline and they have received multiple calls in regards to Buddy Hield’s trade status.
The Pacers are still very much open to exploring any trade possibilities ahead of the trade deadline, especially those that would net them multiple future assets given that they are “retooling” their roster right now.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest Intel Surrounding All 30 NBA Teams Entering Trade Deadline
However, ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently reported that the Pacers are not planning on trading Buddy Hield despite the heavy interest from several other teams around the league.
You just never know with the trade deadline, and Buddy Hield could still very well be on the move to one of these three teams inquiring about him.
