Highlights from Buddy Hield’s incredible second-quarter performance for the Sixers in Game 6 against the Knicks.
Buddy Hield is off to the Warriors and the Sixers are receiving a second-round pick as part of the deal.
The team acquired the Mavericks’ 2031 second-rounder in a sign-and-trade sending Hield to Golden State, a source confirmed Thursday to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the news.
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ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Hield’s new contract will be guaranteed for a total of $21 million over the first two years, then be partially guaranteed in Year 3 and have a player option for a non-guaranteed fourth year.
Essentially, the Sixers got a second-round pick for Hield instead of losing him outright in free agency by facilitating his move to the Warriors, who are hard capped at the first tax apron. Golden State became hard capped at the first apron by landing former Sixer De'Anthony Melton for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Since the Sixers didn't pick up any players in the sign-and-trade, they remain not hard capped and therefore have greater roster-building flexibility moving forward.
NBA
The Sixers dealt for Hield at last season’s trade deadline, giving up Marcus Morris Sr., Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round selections. He posted 12.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game over 32 regular-season contests with the Sixers, shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range.
Hield had a rough first three games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. the Knicks, going 1 for 7 from the floor in his first NBA playoff action ever. He did not play in Games 4 or 5, but Hield returned to the Sixers’ rotation for Game 6 and knocked down a half-dozen three-pointers in a season-ending defeat.
Following the loss, Hield said he’d “like to be in Philly again.”
“Philly, they traded for me and I feel like they want me, too,” he said. “To me, I look at it like I came to the party late. There were a lot of injuries. Before I was here, the team was rolling. I could’ve played in the rotation sometimes, too. They had their guys they trusted, and I can understand that.
“Right now, Philly’s the priority for me. We’ll see when it comes down. My agent is one call away and we’ll figure something out. But if not, I’ll put my head down and keep working, and I’m sure God is going to open up doors for me and for others.”
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said at his end-of-season press conference that the Hield trade didn’t pan out as the Sixers envisioned.
“I think, (through) no fault of Buddy’s, the fit was less good than I thought,” Morey said. “Obviously most of his time was without Joel (Embiid). But I thought when Joel was back, that his impact and his shooting … that’d he’d get more open shots. He didn’t. And so that’s on me that it didn’t work out as well as we hoped.
“I still think it was one of the better (deadline) acquisitions. I was really happy he showed what he could do in Game 6. ... But there was no one more disappointed than him that he fell out of the rotation. I think (head coach Nick Nurse) correctly saw, based on how they were guarding us, that it was hard for him to impact the game.
“And then when they changed up how they were guarding us, he did show what he can do. But yeah, I think Kyle Lowry and Cam Payne, both of them really added to the team. They were able to add at a high level. And then Buddy, it just didn’t quite work as well as we had hoped. But I do think, going forward, it still could work — depending on the other players that are around Joel and Tyrese (Maxey).”
The Sixers have certainly acquired some shooting in the latest cast of players around Embiid and Maxey, agreeing to free-agent deals with veterans Paul George and Eric Gordon and drafting Jared McCain.
