By Shams Sarania, Mark Bouleau, Anthony Slater and Mike Workunov
After an extended recruiting process over the past few days, the Golden State Warriors have reached an agreement with free-agent guard Buddy Hield, league sources said. They’ll get him in a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers that will expand to five teams to work with, league sources said.
Hield’s new contract will be a four-year contract with a starting salary of $8.7 million and a fourth-year player option. The Warriors will send a 2031 second-round pick from Dallas to Philadelphia as part of a five-team deal that also includes the Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves when Klay Thompson departs.
Hield is currently in Valencia, Spain, playing for the Bahamian national team, which is two wins away from a stunning Olympic bid. It’s been trending in this direction for two days, but Hield didn’t make a final decision until after a night of sleepless nights after an in-person call with Steve Kerr Wednesday night.
Hield chose the Warriors because of the opportunity to beat out other interested suitors, including the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers.
After losing Thompson, the Warriors were looking for a high-volume shooter. That’s what Hield is all about. Since 2017, the only player to make more 3-pointers than Hield is his rookie teammate Steph Curry.
Hield, 31, averaged 12.2 points, 42.6 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3 in 32 regular season games with the Sixers. He was acquired by Philadelphia at the trade deadline with the Indiana Pacers. He has career averages of 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 40 percent shooting from 3 in 2016-17.
Hield and Kyle Anderson will enter the Thompson trade exception, created after Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks early in free agency. The Warriors replaced Thompson and Chris Paul with Hield, Anderson and D’Anthony Melton this summer.
Hield has shot over 40 percent from 3 in three seasons, most recently with the Pacers in 2022-23. In 2020–21, he hit four 3s per game, third most in the league.
What does this mean for the Warriors?
They’ve rebuilt the middle of their rotation with a trio of reliable players with different skill sets. Melton, assuming health, gives them a defensive punch at the shooting guard spot next to Curry, and is someone who can handle tough perimeter defense work when he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to space the floor. Anderson was a long-armed, smart wing who played 15 minutes a night in the Timberwolves’ playoff rotation. Hield provides them with a large amount of floor space that they lost when Thompson walked out the door.
The Warriors are still a big move away from being considered any kind of fringe contender, but they’ve sharpened up nicely around the edges. — Anthony Slater wins over Warriors writers
Hield could be too expensive for the 76ers
Hield’s loss deprives Philadelphia of a potential role player in its new big three, but Hield may be too expensive anyway. He was kicked out of the rotation in the playoffs last season after arriving just before the trade deadline — save for a magical quarter against the Knicks. The Sixers could use that second-round pick as another piece of ammunition if Daryl Morey cooks or not. This will make it difficult for the Sixers on the second apron, as they sent their own player in a sign-and-trade. — Mike Vorkonow, NBA business reporter
Required reading
(Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
