Report: NBA executives don't anticipate Indiana Pacers' Buddy Hield will be traded before season
According to a report from Jake Fischer in Yahoo Sports, hardly any NBA executives think Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield will be traded before the season starts.
"For all the initial noise about Buddy Hield being available for trade in Indiana after the sharpshooter and Pacers didn't find common ground on early contract extension talks, few rival executives believe Hield will be dealt before the season. It seems more likely any deal there would come closer to the trade deadline," Fischer's report reads.
This matches the messaging the Pacers have shared for the last few weeks. Hield is entering the final season of a four-year contract that started in 2020-21, and he is eligible for a contract extension with the Pacers until June 30 of next year.
He is a talented player and fits well with Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton. But he also turns 31 in December and is projected to move into a bench role behind Bennedict Mathurin this season. That change will pair him with Haliburton less.
In a new role, and at an age that doesn't match much of the blue and gold's roster, it's hard to determine exactly what Hield is worth to the Pacers long term. General Manager Chad Buchanan shared late last month that contract extension talks between Indiana and Hield are at a halt.
He also said that the team isn't actively looking to move Hield, which matches Fischer's report. "We've had talks with [Hield] about an extension and those talks are at a halt I'd say right now. That's not to say that they're done. We'd like to have Buddy with us. We have no intention of trying to move Buddy," Buchanan said. "But it's also our job to listen if opportunities come that help us improve the team. That's what we have to do as a front office."
Hield said at media day that in his perfect world, he stays with the Pacers. He likes the team and head coach Rick Carlisle. He also noted that he would leave negotiations to his agency, and his future will be uncertain until an extension or trade takes place.
There are many ways Hield's contract could be extended, but until something changes with Hield or the Pacers' situation, a new deal feels unlikely. Still, the sweet-shooting guard likes playing for Indiana and is valued by the team, so a trade before the season seems unlikely. Buchanan's words made that clear, and Fischer's reporting matches the comments from both sides.
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