The Indiana Pacers and shooting guard Buddy Hield engaged in contract extension talks earlier this NBA offseason. Entering the final season of his deal, it made sense for the two sides to see if a long-term deal could be worked out.
Unfortunately, no deal was able to be reached. The Pacers reportedly offered Hield an extension but it wasn’t one that made him feel wanted. As extension talks stalled out, the discussions changed. Instead of attempting to work out a new contract, the sides are working on finding Hield a new team to play with.
According to rival sources of the Pacers, Hield is open to being traded elsewhere. However, it was also noted that a deal isn’t close to being done and there haven’t been any talks of substance with other teams around the league.
Heild is an elite, high-volume 3-point shooter so there should be plenty of interest in him around the league. Teams can never have too much 3-point shooting and there aren’t many players better in the league than he is.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks & Miami Heat Updates
For his career, Hield has made 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers on 7.7 attempts per game. Last season he connected on 42.5 percent of his attempts from long range on 8.5 tries per game. While no deal is imminent, there are already teams emerging as potential trade targets.
According to a former NBA executive who spoke to NBA Analysis Network, two teams are known to already have an interest in acquiring Hield. The New York Knicks and Miami Heat are the two teams the former executive mentioned.
“Two other teams with known interest already in Buddy (Hield) are the Heat and Knicks. Both would love to add more perimeter shooting and have the pieces to pull off a deal with Indiana.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks & Miami Heat Updates
3-point shoot was an Achilles heel for the Knicks last season that reared its ugly head in the postseason. They made only 29.2 percent of their attempts from 3-point range, which was last amongst the playoff teams.
The Heat lost some talent this offseason with Gabe Vincent and Max Strus both moving on in free agency. Hield would be an excellent replacement for the 3-point shooting both of them provided during the team’s surprising run to the NBA Finals.
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