Buddy Hield trade with West foe has ‘no traction’ because of Pacers apathy
By Jack Simone
It was recently reported that the Indiana Pacers are beginning the process of finding a trade for Buddy Hield, as the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension.
Hield is entering his eighth NBA season and is one of the best three-point shooters in the league. That second fact alone is enough to draw the interest of a lot of teams.
Plenty of squads around the league would love to add an elite three-point shooting threat, and the Dallas Mavericks are one of those teams. However, Indiana isn’t interested in what they have to offer.
Buddy Hield trade with Dallas Mavericks has ‘no traction’ because of Indiana Pacers apathy
During an appearance on 97.1 The Freak, long-time NBA insider Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” revealed that Hield trade talks between the Mavericks and Pacers have had “no traction” because the Pacers are not interested in taking on Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway Jr. still has two years left on his deal. The veteran wing is set to make $17.9 million this year and $16.2 million the following year.
Adding that money to Indiana’s books would restrict their ability to make moves moving forward, and Hardaway Jr. isn’t the type of player who is going to help them moving forward.
Indiana shouldn’t be too concerned with taking on long-term money if they get the right player in the deal, but Hardaway Jr. isn’t that. If anything, he would be a downgrade from Hield.
In all likelihood, the Pacers will engage with other teams regarding a Hield trade, and if worst comes to worst, they could attempt to snag a first-round pick from Dallas and begrudgingly take on Hardaway Jr.
Some other teams that could make for interesting trade partners include the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, and Los Angeles Lakers.
All four of those squads could use some three-point shooting on the roster, and they could all be interested in Hield despite being in very different positions as a franchise.
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Regardless, while Hield may not be traded by the time the season starts, it seems almost guaranteed that the Pacers find a deal for him by the deadline.