5 things to know about Pacers trade acquisition Buddy Hield

Joel Lorenzi, Indianapolis Star
·4 min read

Just two days after the Indiana Pacers made waves around the NBA world by trading Caris LeVert to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers have shaken up the league once again.

On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the Pacers are sending Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.

More: Pacers trade Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb to Kings, per report

While Haliburton is the head of the deal for Indiana, fans shouldn’t look past the acquisition of Hield. Here’s more on one of the Pacers’ additions:

Buddy Hield is still a marksman

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard was popular among trade talks last summer, specifically with the contending Los Angeles Lakers, who ultimately chose to deal with the Washington Wizards and Russell Westbrook instead. The Lakers wanted some outside shooting, and Hield is as good as they come from deep.

The former Oklahoma guard is a career 40% 3-point shooter. This season has been his worst statistically but he’s still managed to shoot 36.8% from outside — good enough for second on the new-look Pacers (behind Haliburton) among players averaging at least one attempt per game.

Buddy Hield has gotten used to a much different role

Just a season ago, Hield started in all 71 of his appearances. With the emergence of Haliburton, he and point guard De’Aaron Fox emerged as the Kings’ backcourt for the majority of this season, Hield has started just 6 games, in each case an injury replacement for Haliburton, Fox or rookie Davion Mitchell.

During Fox's most recent absence, Mitchell started with Haliburton able to play off the ball. Hield is averaging 28.6 minutes, his lowest since the 2017-18 season. With a possible three-man rotation of guard Malcolm Brogdon, Haliburton and rookie Chris Duarte, expect for there to be no room for Hield to start in the Pacers' backcourt.

Buddy Hield typically shows up for work

One thing is virtually guaranteed with Hield at this point: He clocks in everyday. Over the past five seasons, Hield has missed a combined three games. He’s marked three seasons during that time of perfect attendance, including this season, playing in all 55 of Sacramento’s games. The last time Hield sat out? April 12, 2021. Before then? November 20, 2017.

That's a important component for an injury-ravaged Pacers roster.

Buddy Hield has a less-than-ideal contract

Hield’s wallet is pretty fat these days. He was the Kings’ second highest-paid player behind Fox this season, as he’ll earn a total of $23,073,234 through the 2021-22 season. The price tag makes him the highest-paid player on the Pacers now, earning just over a million more than Brogdon. Though he’ll be paid less than Brogdon next season, he’ll still be the team’s second-highest earner — a steep price to pay for someone who isn’t a firm starter, even on a tanking team.

Even with Hield's contract, however, the salaries in the deal were basically even, meaning the Pacers will maintain the $18 million they freed up under the salary next season by dealing LeVert.

Pacers fans shouldn’t get too acquainted with Buddy Hield yet

It is entirely possible that Hield’s stint in Indiana could be short-lived. He’s still a shooter for hire. While the Pacers could use him after dealing two of their top wings away in Holiday and Lamb, Hield is still worth another move. Draft capital and perhaps even another player — one who preferably won’t need to be paid upward of $20 million this season — is a sufficient return for Hield if Indiana gives in to any suitors. It all depends on where the Pacers stand with this rapid tank.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers trade: 5 things to know about Buddy Hield