This past February, the Indiana Pacers moved on from wing Buddy Hield after parts of three seasons with the team, shipping him out to the Philadelphia 76ers. In exchange, the Pacers received Furkan Korkmaz, Doug McDermott, cash, and a couple of second-round draft picks.
Trading Hield was a polarizing move at the time. On one hand, he was on an expiring contract and was a candidate to walk in the offseason, and moving on from him provided some more opportunities for players like Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, and, in a smaller way, Bennedict Mathurin.
However, on the flip side, Hield was a great player during his time in Indiana (albeit, a little streaky at times), and the Pacers did not get anything of substance from what they acquired for Hield. Korkmaz never suited up for them, and McDermott played a very minimal role during his half-season with the team.
Since the trade, Hield has left Philadelphia and signed with the Golden State Warriors. In just his second preseason game with the team, he showed everybody in Indiana that moving on from him may not have been the right call.
Buddy Hield has already found his groove in Golden State
In last night's victory against the Sacramento Kings, another one of Hield's former teams, the Oklahoma alum scored a game-high 22 points on an incredible 8-for-9 from the field, including a 6-for-7 mark from behind the line. He also recorded three rebounds and an assist off the bench.
The Warriors signed Hield to help replace long-time veteran Klay Thompson, who joined the Dallas Mavericks after 13 years with the team. It is way too soon to say Hield alone has replaced the four-time champion, but last night's performance is still incredibly noteworthy. He is a fantastic fit in their system and has the potential to have the best year of his NBA career up to this point.
Hield's showing is more than just a welcome sight for Warriors fans. It is also an eye-opening revelation for many Pacers fans--trading Hield may have been a mistake.
The Pacers are a great team heading into the 2024-25 season with serious championship aspirations. However, it is easy to look at their current roster and think they would benefit from adding another legitimate three-point shooting threat to the team.
Since trading Hield last season, the Pacers shot 36.2% from beyond the arc. This was just the 13th-best in the NBA. For a team as fast-paced on offense as the Pacers are, this is an area they could certainly improve in.
Currently, outside of Aaron Nesmith, the Pacers do not have a legitimate knockdown three-point shooter. This does not mean they do not have solid three-point shooters on the team, but nobody else on the team is a true specialist like Hield is. Having another perimeter threat to pair with Haliburton at the point would move the Pacers' offense to another level.
Furthermore, having Hield during their conference finals run last season certainly would have helped the Pacers. Ultimately, we will never know if Hield would have stayed with the team past last summer if he never got traded, but Indiana may be wishing they at least kept the option available.