By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Golden State Warriors just found another shooting guard that can replace the contributions of Klay Thompson for the upcoming NBA season.
After trading away their former star shooter to the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors immediately made their move and tapped the services of Buddy Hield confirmed on July 5, 2024.
Golden State was able to seal the negotiation and land Hield after agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal involving the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the approved proposal, the Warriors will be receiving Hield while Philadelphia will be having a 2031 second-round pick from Golden State.
According to multiple reports, Hield is bound to sign a two-year deal worth $21 million under the Golden State organization.
Under the sign-and-trade rules, Hield will be guaranteed with $18 million purse in his first two years and will receive the remaining $3 million the next year plus a player option.
Known as a knock-down shooter, Hield is expected to fill in the void following the departure of Thompson several days ago.
Last 2023-2024 NBA season, Hield averaged 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Despite the dipped stats when he played in the playoffs, the shooter was still able to provide some lift for the 76ers during their series against the New York Knicks.
Hield fell out of the rotation when the playoffs started and only logged 5.5 minutes per game. He only had a single double-digit scoring during the post-season after chipping in 20 markers in their Game 6 loss against the Knicks.
Despite the roller-coaster season, Hield’s three-point percentage is still one of the best in the league over the last five years.
From the 2019 NBA season, Hield joined Curry as the top 2 players with the most three-pointers made. Now that they are officially on the same team, Steve Kerr and the rest of the Golden State coaching staff will devise new offensive sets to maximize their capabilities.
