With 13 straight DNPs (Did Not Play), it’s clear that Bahamian professional basketball player Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield is not included in the immediate or long-term plans of the Atlanta Hawks.
Hield was traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Hawks at the trade deadline this season, and has only appeared in a game once since, playing sparingly. He played just five minutes in a 138-116 loss for the Hawks to the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 9. Hield threw up just one three point shot in that game, which missed, and had a turnover.
The 10-year veteran, now 33, is on the down side of his career, having struggled to experience consistent playing time and become firmly established with an NBA franchise in recent times. He has played with four National Basketball Association (NBA) teams in the last three years.
Since averaging 16.8 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field, and 42.5 percent shooting from three-point range with the Indiana Pacers in 2023, Hield’s numbers have gone down each year, now down to a career-low 7.9 points per game while shooting 43.2 from the field and a career-low 34.2 percent from three-point range.
Hield appeared in 44 games for the Warriors this season, and made three starts, before the trade, but joins a unit that already had a strong guard rotation, particularly with mid-season acquisitions CJ McCollum and Gabe Vincent.
Even in blowout games, Hield is not logging playing time, and with just 14 games left in the season, it’s unlikely that he will hit the court anymore this year.
Hield has a partially guaranteed deal for $9.7 million next season, but with him not being in the rotation, he’ll likely be traded in the offseason, or released. He has two years remaining on a four-year deal worth approximately $37.8 million.
The veteran guard had one of his more memorable performances in game seven of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, last year. Hield scored a game-high 33 points on 12-for-15 shooting from the field, including a torrid 9-for-11 from three-point range, tying an NBA record for most made three-point shots in game seven of an NBA playoff series. The Warriors won that game, 103-89, to take the series four games to three, and then went on to lose to the Timberwolves in the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Hawks are rolling. They have won 10 in a row, and 11 of their last 12 games, with no contribution from Hield.
Hield has played for six NBA teams in his 10 seasons in the league, quickly developing the tag of an NBA journeyman. His career accomplishments include being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2017 and winning the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2020.
For his career, he averages 14.6 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 39.5 percent from three-point range.
Hield has scored over 11,000 points in the NBA and ranks 15th on the all-time list for made three-pointers with 2,194 made shots from distance.
The Hawks have a 37-31 win/loss record, and are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for eighth in the Eastern Conference of the NBA.
It will be interesting to see how they deal with Hield going forward, but one thing is for certain — the Bahamian is not a part of their immediate or long-term plans.