Buddy Hield is on the move again.
After less than half a season with the Philadelphia 76ers, the veteran sharpshooter agreed to deal with the Golden State Warriors on Thursday as part of a sign-and-trade deal, according to according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.
The 76ers will receive a 2031 second-round draft pick via the Dallas Mavericks, per Charania.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN provided a breakdown of Hield’s contract:
For years, Hield was connected to the Sixers via trade rumors but never found his way to Philly. That changed in the 2023-24 season, when the Sixers acquired him in a three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs.
Hield was ready for a change in scenery, telling Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports that he came to the realization by the trade deadline that “I need to get out of here.”
He cited a lack of a contract extension when talking about why his relationship with Indiana soured:
“If a team doesn’t want to re-sign you, we asked them early and you know how it is. It’s the game. They say they want to sign you and then after it doesn’t happen, the conversations don’t really keep going on the phone, and it’s like talking to a wall, and nobody’s responding back. But after that, you’re under contract, and you have to, like, honor your contract. So it’s one of those deals where you just gotta come in every day and be professional. But I know that the whole vibe was so different.”
He was often rumored as a Sixers target, dating back to his Sacramento Kings days, because of his excellent perimeter shooting, which would provide spacing for center Joel Embiid. Such was the case when the two were paired together—albeit briefly, given Embiid’s long injury layoff—and Hield finished his first season in Philadelphia averaging 12.2 points per game while shooting 38.9 percent from three.
That made him a logical target to retain, though the Sixers came into the offseason with enormous cap space and went star-hunting to add more talent around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, ultimately landing Paul George. That made it uncertain which role players they would be able to re-sign or add in free agency.
Hield didn’t make the cut and now will play for his fifth team in his NBA career, providing the Warriors with some much-needed shooting on the wing. He’ll be one of the options the team will have to replace longtime shooting guard Klay Thompson, who is now with the Dallas Mavericks after a separate sign-and-trade deal.
The Warriors have quietly had a decent offseason. Yes, they lost a beloved franchise pillar in Thompson and weren’t able to bring in a major star like Paul George, but adding solid role players like Hield, De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson somewhat makes up for those disappointments.
As currently constructed, the Warriors probably aren’t a title contender. If they can perhaps find another star via a trade like Lauri Markkanen, however, the team’s title odds will improve significantly.