Report: Warriors to acquire Buddy Hield in sign-and-trade with 76ers

Buddy Hield is on the move again after reportedly being dealt in a sign and trade.

Per Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers have traded Hield to the Golden State Warriors. In return, the Dubs will send Philly a 2031 second-round pick by way of the Dallas Mavericks.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has since reported the new deal that Hield will be on in the Bay Area. It’ll be four years in total with only the first pair being guaranteed upon signing.

“ESPN Sources: Free agent Buddy Hield is joining Golden State on a sign-and-trade deal guaranteed for two years and $21 million,” Wojnarowski wrote on Twitter. “Hield gets $18M in first two years, a $3M partial guarantee in 3rd year and player option on non-guaranteed 4th year.”

This deal comes in the wake of Golden State losing Klay Thompson to Dallas in free agency earlier this week. Paired along with Steph Curry, the Splash Brothers made 7.1 threes combined at 41.4% total from deep over 13 seasons together in a historic backcourt. That, along with Draymond Green and, for a time, Kevin Durant, led a dynasty that won four championships.

However, in replacing Thompson’s three-point shooting, you can’t do much better than Hield. Over his eight seasons, he has made three triples per game at a clip of 40%. In total, he and Curry lead the league in total three pointers over the span of the last half decade.

Hield has also averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 43.4% shooting overall. He has done so with the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, and Philadelphia 76ers. Still, with the deal, all four franchises have now traded him away at some point or another.

Hield was the sixth overall pick by the Pelicans in the 2016 NBA Draft. They drafted him after a collegiate career at Oklahoma that saw him explode by his senior season.

While a Sooner, Hield averaged 17.4 points, five rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 44.8% from the field and 39% from three on 2.6 triples per game. That developed until his final year where he went for 25 points, 5.7 rebounds, and a pair of assists on 50.1% shooting overall and 45.7% from distance on four threes per game. In that season, he led the nation in total points and three in taking OU to the Final Four.

All that made him a two-time Big 12 Player of the Year and three-time All-Big 12 Selection. He also garnered national honors as a Consensus All American and winning both the Naismith and Wooden Awards.

The Warriors have seen several roster shifts already this offseason with more moves potentially out there for them to make. Still, for now, Hield is a more than serviceable option to try to mimic the role of Thompson, at least from behind the line, alongside Curry in Golden State.