One of the players who has been mentioned the most in NBA trade rumors this offseason is Sacramento Kings shooting guard, Buddy Hield. For Hield, hearing his name pop up in rumors is nothing new.
He has already been traded once in his career, as the New Orleans Pelicans included him in the package to land DeMarcus Cousins in his rookie season. He has spent the last 4.5 seasons in Sacramento, but since he completed the first season of his contract extension, he has had his name pop up in rumors.
Hield has been a solid player in his career, but he has not yet lived up to the expectations of a four-year, $94 million deal. There was talk of the New York Knicks acquiring him last offseason in exchange for Julius Randle. With the season that Randle had, the Knicks are lucky they didn’t explore that option more.
This offseason, he was even closer to being on the move. There were reports that the Los Angeles Lakers had acquired him for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and a 2021 first-round pick.
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That trade was so close to completion that players were told they were on the move. Kuzma, Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ended up moving, but to the east coast with the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook.
As a result, Hield is still with the Kings. At this point, a trade may be best for both sides as there will be some awkwardness with Hield coming back knowing the team essentially traded him away. They also selected point guard Davion Mitchell with their first-round pick, creating even more of a logjam in the backcourt.
Where could we see Hield traded to? Here are three dark-horse destinations for the sharpshooter to land.
