Potential Pacers trade bait with Buddy Hield and Obi Toppin on deadline day

Buddy Hield

Buddy Hield's case is a bit different. At 31 years old, Hield is the second-oldest rotation player on the team behind TJ McConnell, and unlike McConnell, he has been quite inconsistent this season, bordering on unplayable at his worst moments.

Despite building a reputation as one of the best three-point shooters in the league, and rightfully so, with a career average of 40%, Hield's shot has not been falling as much this season, with him shooting only 32.5% in his last nine games, and a mere 30% in his last seven.

The Pacers' success this year has also somewhat been tied to how many shots Buddy Hield takes in a game, with the results not exactly being in Hield's favor.

In addition, Hield has also been expressing frustration from the bench in recent games, with his frustrations on Sunday's matchup against Charlotte being especially well noted.

This is not exactly surprising coming from Hield, who has seen his role on the team slowly diminish over the past year, from starter and core piece on the team, to seventh or eighth guy off the bench and defensive liability most of the time.

Of course, Hield will always have his reputation as a knockdown shooter around the league, which is why he has garnered interest from teams, namely the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers. However, the potential return from these teams has turned many Pacers fans off, and from the looks of it, the Pacers themselves as well.

For Philly, Hield would be a nice addition to their bench, as they could use a shooting spark for their second unit. However, a Hield trade to Philadelphia will most likely garner a return of Furkan Korkmaz, Marcus Morris, or Robert Covington, three players that are questionable at best and downright unplayable at worst.

As for Orlando, they will most certainly not part ways with young guard Jalen Suggs, so the best return from them would most likely be centered around Indiana native swingman Gary Harris, who has been less than stellar this season.