Buddy Hield has been connected to the Los Angeles Lakers several times on the trade market. It dates back to the 2021 offseason, where it appeared that the Lakers were going to trade for Hield before Rob Pelinka changed course and traded for Russell Westbrook instead.
Hield was then tied to Westbrook for an entire calendar year as the No. 1 theorized Westbrook trade was flipping him and draft picks to the Indiana Pacers for Hield and Myles Turner. That never came to fruition as Indiana was asking for two unprotected first-round picks in return.
Fast forward to September of 2023 and Hield is back on the trade market. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Hield and the Pacers are exploring a potential trade after the two sides could not come to terms on a contract extension. Naturally, Los Angeles was theorized as a potential destination.
The Lakers cannot trade for Hield until December at the earliest, and even then a potential move is questionable at best. Plus, there are several teams that would likely trade for Hield before the Lakers even had a chance.
3 teams that will trade for Buddy Hield before the Lakers have a chance:
1. Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are the definition of a team being stuck in-between. Toronto is far too talented to tank and be one of the worst teams in the league but it is unreasonable to expect them to make any kind of push for the NBA Title.
That being said, Toronto was in the same boat last season and still made the move for an expiring Jakob Poeltl. Toronto brought Poeltl in and eventually signed him to a new deal, keeping him with the team.
Perhaps the Raptors could look to do the same with Hield. Toronto was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league last season with Gary Trent Jr. being the only reliable shooting option. Hield would certainly improve their shooting and Toronto could make a deal happen with ease.
The Raptors could package two throw-away contracts in Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter Jr. along with a protected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to get a deal done for Hield.
2. The San Antonio Spurs can trade for Buddy Hield before the Lakers can
The San Antonio Spurs are in a very interesting situation in the 2023-24 season. San Antonio was one of the worst teams in the league last season but that allowed the team to draft one of the most highly-anticipated first-round prospects of all time, Victor Wembanyama.
It is hard to gauge how good this Spurs team can be in Wemby’s rookie season. Wemby should come into the league and instantly be a defensive force similar to Rudy Gobert. However, it may take some time for his offense to come along, so adding scorers around him is the best thing San Antonio can do.
Trading for Buddy Hield presents an opportunity to add an asset for relatively cheap (since he is on an expiring deal) that can help the floor-spacing and can make Wemby’s life easier in his rookie season.
Even if Hield is not part of the long-term plans, just getting this kind of presence on the court would be great for San Antonio. If the price is right, the Spurs certainly have the cap space to extend him after the season as well to a deal in the three-year, $45-60 million range.
San Antonio can flip Doug McDermott for Hield and the money works. McDermott can also shoot threes at a great clip but Hield is the better all-around player. Indiana would ask for more in the deal and San Antonio has a boatload of draft selections. The team can pick from its collection of protected first-round picks to dish out for Hield.
3. The Los Angeles Clippers can trade for Buddy Hield before the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are the team that Hield has been tied to the most in his past but it is more likely that he goes to Los Angeles’ other professional basketball team if he is going to be traded anytime soon.
The Clippers are entering a huge do-or-die season for the team. This might be the team’s last real chance of winning a championship with this Kawhi Leonard-Paul George partnership and the front office is going to do anything in its power to improve the roster.
There was speculation of a James Harden trade but that deal appears to be dead in the water, which is a bummer for Lakers fans as it would have blown up in the Clippers’ face. Instead, the Clippers may look to flip their expiring contracts for players who can actually make a difference.
That player could be Hield, who would add backcourt floor spacing that the team is going to need with Russell Westbrook on the court. The Clippers can package Marcus Morris and Amir Coffey to make the money work and would have to send future draft capital as well to make the deal happen.
It certainly is doable and the Clippers are in the perfect situation to make a swing like this hoping ti can improve their chances of winning the title.