As recently reported by Shams Charania (behind paywall), Buddy Hield and the Indiana Pacers will work together to find a trade partner. However, not every team should pursue the three-point sniper, one of these teams is the Washington Wizards.
Hield is one of the premier shooters in the NBA having been near the top of the league in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage for each of the past six seasons. His efficiency from range is impressive and it has greatly benefitted every team he’s been a part of.
His main issue as a player is the fact that outside of his unreal ability to put the ball in the basket from range, he doesn’t bring much to the table. He is undersized for his position, not a great ball handler, and he isn’t an energetic defender.
Still, these are not the reasons the Wizards should avoid trading for Hield.
Buddy Hield is too old for a rebuilding Washington Wizards team to give up assets for
Buddy Hield is a highly sought after role player on a sizeable contract ($18.6 million next season), this means it will take multiple prospects and role players as well as picks in order to get him from the Pacers.
The Washington Wizards should not give up any young players or picks for the 30-year-old shooting guard. He does not bring anything valuable to a team looking to rebuild and does not even come close to fitting the contending window of the current core.
He would also take minutes away from Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, and Deni Avdija, potentially stunting the development of all three young players.
While I’m sure there are some who would like to see the Washington Wizards trade for Buddy Hield, it seems like they would be forced to give up more value than they receive in any trade featuring the sharpshooter.
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