The Philadelphia Sixers sent Buddy Hield to the Warriors last season in a sign-and-trade deal. His time in Philly was brief, as he played 32 games after a midseason trade. The Sixers acquired a 2031 second-round pick in exchange for Hield, and here we are a year later, and he's apparently worth far more than that to the Warriors.
Golden State has spent the offseason trying to find a solution to Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency. One thing that the Warriors aren't open to doing is matching salary in a sign-and-trade by losing Hield or Moses Moody. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Sunday that they "value both players quite highly" (subscription required).
Is Hield... untouchable? When it comes to sign-and-trades for Kuminga, it sure seems that way.
To be fair, he played all 82 games for Golden State last season, which is good value in itself, especially for a team with older players. Hield averaged 11.1 points per game on 37% shooting from three, averaging 6.7 shots from deep per game. He started the season off hot in The Bay, making the Sixers look bad, but he cooled off as the season went on.
Warriors don't want to lose former Sixers guard Buddy Hield
Golden State refusing to part with Hield or Moody could result in Kuminga signing his $7.9 million qualifying offer for next season, which would hurt the Warriors tremendously. Kuminga could leave for nothing next summer as an unrestricted free agent, and his low salary wouldn't be tradable.
When you look at it from that way, Golden State's wariness to lose Hield makes less sense. He gives a scoring punch off the bench, but he's a streaky shooter. Sixers fans know that.
He isn't worth potentially losing Kuminga for nothing, or not being able to use Kuminga to match salary in a trade in case Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the market. The Warriors are valuing Hield far more than they should be.
All that Philadelphia can do is laugh, while being stuck in a restricted free agency saga of its own, but not nearly as dramatic as Kuminga's. The Sixers believe that they'll re-sign Quentin Grimes before the season starts, rather than him accepting his $8.7 million qualifying offer.
Grimes isn't as much of a threat from three as Hield is, but he's still a good shooter. He's also nearly seven years younger. Oh, and Grimes is a great defender!
Philly fans can relate to Golden State fans when it comes to the painful slowness of restricted free agency, but certainly not when it comes to holding Hield in high regard.