At the NBA trade deadline this season, the Indiana Pacers made headlines by not only trading away Caris LeVert, but sending All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings in a six-player trade that landed them second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield.
Haliburton is going to be a guard they look to build with and around for many years to come, but Buddy Hield came to Indiana with a lot of question marks surrounding his future.
One of the better three-point scorers on the wing, Hield has made his mark in the league by being instant offense off of his team’s bench. In six seasons with the Kings, Buddy Hield was only ever really utilized as a three-point weapon, but in his short time with the Pacers, he has really expanded his game.
So far through 11 games as a starter with the Indiana Pacers, Buddy Hield has averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and has shot 47.5% from the floor, 36.8% from three-point range.
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Proving to be an all-around playmaker on the offensive-end of the floor, Buddy Hield has certainly drawn the attention of those within the Pacers’ front-office, as well as other league executives around the league.
The Pacers were unwilling to listen to trade offers for Hield at the deadline after acquiring him from Sacramento, but they could be open to receiving interest in Buddy Hield this upcoming offseason, especially since Indiana is going through some kind of “rebuild” and does not really have an identity right now.
Owed $39 million through the 2023-24 season, any team looking to trade for the sharpshooting wing will need to be able to free up cap space in the offseason should they look to trade him. They may be right near the tax line this season, but the Boston Celtics are certainly a team to keep an eye on in terms of adding more offensive firepower in the offseason, especially if they fail to make a deep playoff push this year.
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Boston is expected to be very engaged in trade talks this upcoming offseason, much like they were this past offseason, and other than Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, everyone is in-play to be on the move in order for Brad Stevens to upgrade his team’s chances of winning a title.
While unlikely to happen, let’s take a look at a trade between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers put together by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz that sends Buddy Hield to Boston.
