The Golden State Warriors acquired Buddy Hield via sign-and-trade to help replace Klay Thompson. Hield ranks second behind Warriors star Stephen Curry in three-pointers made over the last two seasons.
The trade could not be finalized until the league’s Free Agency Moratorium ended on July 6.
That additional time allowed the Warriors to fold Hield’s sign-and-trade into a much larger transaction that included five other teams. The final deal also puts the Warriors in the history books for another league first.
Kyle Anderson’s acquisition was also folded into a move that will rope in the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers.
“The Warriors have acquired forward Kyle Anderson from the Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Buddy Hield from the Philadelphia 76ers in sign-and-trade deals as part of a six-team trade that sends four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade,” Warriors PR captioned a post of the team’s official announcement on July 6.
“It is the first six-team trade in league history, Mavericks say,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein reported on X on July 6.
Buddy Hield Hoping to Learn From Stephen Curry After Trade to Warriors
Hield averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season, appearing in 84 games with his trade from the Indiana Pacers to the 76ers. He also shot 38.6% from beyond the arc last season.
Hield expressed his excitement about joining the Warriors in a conversation with BasketNews’ Edvinas Jablonski, calling it a “perfect fit.”.
“Growing up, watching their style of play. The way they coach, the players around them – Steph [Curry], Draymond [Green], [Andrew] Wiggins. The style of play that Steph has,” Hield said, per Jablonski on July 5.
“Even watching Klay Thompson. I was always a big fan of his, and I always ask [his] advice. Just seeing the dynasty they had and the way they play, I feel like that suits my game more. Fast ball movement, cutting, passing, making the defenses to make decisions. I think that [by] going there, I can learn a lot and elevate my game.”
This past season with the 76ers was Hield’s first trip to the postseason.
He was used sparingly over their first three games, seeing no more than 14 minutes in Games 1 through 3.
After missing two games, Hield scored 20 points including going 6-for-9 from deep in the Sixers’ decisive Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks in the first round. He agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract as part of the deal. Anderson signed a three-year, $27 million pact.
Hield had previously been candid about his reasons for wanting out of Indiana.
Buddy Hield Gets Honest About End of Pacers Tenure
“If a team doesn’t want to re-sign you, we asked them early and you know how it is. It’s the game,” Hield said, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer in March. “They say they want to sign you and then after it doesn’t happen, the conversations don’t really keep going on the phone, and it’s like talking to a wall, and nobody’s responding back. But after that, you’re under contract, and you have to, like, honor your contract. So it’s one of those deals where you just gotta come in every day and be professional. But I know that the whole vibe was so different.”
Originally the No. 6 pick of the 2016 draft by the Sacramento Kings, the Pacers acquired Hield in the 2022 deal that also netted guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Hield gets security with this trade. The Warriors need him to help them get back to the playoffs
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