Warriors reportedly in serious talks to acquire Buddy Hield via sign-and-trade with 76ers

The Golden State Warriors are in serious talks to acquire Buddy Hield in a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Hield, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, was split between the Indiana Pacers and 76ers last season in a midseason trade. Now, if Golden State can complete the trade, he’ll be moving to the Bay Area and joining a very suitable team.

For 13 years, the Warriors have been led by the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. That duo broke up when free agency began, and Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks. That left the Warriors in need of more 3-pointers, but few players in league history have made 3-pointers at the rate Thompson does.

Well, Hield is one of them. There have been 22 seasons in NBA history in which a player has attempted at least 270 3-pointers. Nine of those are Curry’s. Two are Thompson’s. And, amazingly, four are Hield’s, more than anyone else in that group except Curry. He’s made exactly 40 percent of his 3-pointers in the NBA on 7.6 attempts per game. Thompson is shooting the same, on 7.6 attempts per game, but is slightly more efficient at 41.3 percent. Hield is the closest thing the Warriors could find to a new Splash Brother. Hield has never been Thompson’s equal as a defender, but Thompson’s decline in that regard has been precipitous.

The Warriors spent the early part of this offseason rebuilding their roster with the goal of building a cheaper team. They waived Chris Paul and let Thompson go, but added De’Anthony Melton via the non-tax-paying mid-level exception and Kyle Anderson via sign-and-trade. In Hield, they’d find a player to replace some of Thompson’s shooting numbers, while Melton and Anderson add to their defense and playmaking, respectively. The Warriors are also reportedly aggressive in trying to acquire Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, and given the talent drain of the past few years, another star is likely needed for the Warriors to seriously compete for their fifth championship since 2015.

Only time will tell if they can actually do that, but Hield would be a valuable reserve player on a title-contending team. The Warriors have been trying to improve on the perimeter this offseason, and it looks like they’re doing just that.