PHILADELPHIA — Buddy Hield played in 632 regular-season games and established himself as one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA before he finally played a post-season game. He can thank the Philadelphia 76ers for ending his dubious distinction of most NBA games without a playoff appearance by an active player.
If he wants to get there again, he’s going to have to try again in California — alongside Stephen Curry, no less.
The 76ers continued one of the busiest off-seasons of any team in the league — thanks in large part to salary-cap space to spare — and orchestrated a sign-and-trade deal on Thursday that sends Hield to the Golden State Warriors for a 2031 second-round pick it received from the Dallas Mavericks, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. ESPN reported that Hield was set to sign a two-year, $21 million contract with the Warriors.
The Warriors were in the market for another dependable perimeter threat following the loss of Klay Thompson, who agreed to join the Mavericks as part of a sign-and-trade of a three-year, $50 million contract involving the Warriors, Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets. The 76ers are essentially getting a free second pick for helping facilitate that deal.
The Hield trade will become official after the league’s moratorium on signings is lifted on Saturday, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be announced by NBA rule until that time.
The 76ers on Thursday also announced they signed first-round draft pick Jared McCain. The Duke product is scheduled to participate in July in both the Salt Lake City Summer League and the NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 in Las Vegas. McCain was selected by Philadelphia with the No. 16 overall pick in last month’s draft.
Golden State has continued adding to its roster in an off-season that general manager Mike Dunleavy has said will be important to rebuild the team after missing the playoffs. The Warriors and free agent forward Kyle Anderson were working to complete a three-year, $27 million contract, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations told the AP earlier in the week.
The 2022 NBA champion Warriors are trying to get back into the title hunt after missing the playoffs this past season.
The 76ers want to advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
Paul George and the Sixers agreed to a $212 million, four-year free agent contract on Monday and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey agreed in principle to a $204 million, five-year extension with the team.
The 34-year-old George spurned the Los Angeles Clippers and declined a 2024-2025 player option in his contract with them to join a Sixers team that has been a perennial underachiever, even as Joel Embiid blossomed into one of the top players in the NBA.
The 76ers know that star shooters aren’t necessarily guaranteed to have success in Philadelphia.
Hield was acquired at last season’s trade deadline from Indiana for Marcus Morris Jr., Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round draft picks.
Hield had been one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA for years in both volume and makes. He hit at least 260 in four straight seasons with the Sacramento Kings and made a career-high 288 in 2022-203 with the Pacers. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season.
He never found his groove in Philly. After Hield missed a total of four 3-point attempts in the first three games in the playoffs against the New York Knicks, coach Nick Nurse benched him in Games 4 and 5. Hield returned to the lineup for a Game 6 loss and shot 6 of 9 from 3-point range for 20 points.
It would be his last game with the Sixers.
The 31-year-old Hield played in 57 games with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016-17 and in 385 games for the Kings. He played in 158 games with the Pacers and 32 games with the Sixers before he made the post-season debut. Because of the trade, Hield actually played in 84 games last season. He also played for the Pacers in the In-Season Tournament title game in December, Game No. 85, which didn’t count toward the official total. Game No. 86 — the 76ers’ play-in win over Miami — pushed him into the playoffs.
