The 2023-24 NBA season is nearing and for Buddy Hield, he appears unlikely to play it out with the Indiana Pacers after the latest developments regarding his future.
Entering the final year of his four-year, $94 million contract, he will earn just under $18.6 million and will become a free agent in the offseason without a new deal in place. It does not appear as though Hield and the Pacers will manage to reach such an agreement.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, contract extension talks between Hield and the Pacers have failed to reach a resolution, the two sides will work together to find a trade suitor.
“After contract extension negotiations stalled out, Buddy Hield and the Indiana Pacers have started a dialogue to work on finding a potential trade with another team, league sources say,” Charania wrote.
The figures the Pacers had presented in recent contract discussions left Hield and his representation with the impression that he is not desired by the organization.
“The Pacers did offer Hield an extension in recent weeks, but it’s believed their proposal did not make the seven-year guard feel desired, league sources said,” Charania wrote.
NBA NEWS & TRADES RUMORS: Buddy Hield & Indiana Pacers Updates
Hield, who is coming off a season averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 80 games, continues to be one of the most dynamic perimeter shooting threats in the NBA. He shot 42.5 percent from deep on 8.5 attempts per game last season, while in his seven-year career, he has shot 40.2 percent on a total of 4,240 attempts.
Any team that needs to become a more efficient perimeter shooting team should consider making a run at Hield. Doing so would enable a team to acquire his Bird rights, creating a pathway to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him next offseason. Between his general catch-and-shoot ability, motion shooting threat, and underrated playmaking, he brings plenty of value to an offense.
NBA NEWS & TRADES RUMORS: Buddy Hield & Indiana Pacers Updates
The Pacers will need to figure out the best path forward to surround Tyrese Haliburton with shooting without Hield in the fold. The sharpshooter has served as a valuable relief option for Haliburton throughout the entirety of his NBA career, beginning with their time as teammates on the Sacramento Kings before the trade to the Pacers.
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