Bahamian professional basketball player with the Golden State Warriors Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield could be on the move again this summer.
Hield, who is playing with his fourth franchise in the last four years, is having another productive year in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The veteran shooting guard for the Warriors is averaging 11.3 points, primarily off the bench, while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point range. He has helped the Warriors creep into the sixth spot in the Western Conference of the NBA, recording a 39-29 win/loss record as of Monday night. A little over a month ago, they were in the 11th spot with a 25-26 record, in danger of not even making the play-in tournament of the NBA playoffs.
On Monday night, the Warriors had their season-high eight-game winning streak snapped with a 114-105 home loss to the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Hield was held to just two points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field in 21 minutes of play but had nights of 22, 20, 16 and 15 points during the streak. He started off the season by averaging 21.2 points per game in October and had six 20-point efforts in his first seven games.
The Warriors play a fast-paced offensive scheme, lighting it up from deep as often as possible.
Hield has been a serviceable threat from three-point range for the Warriors this season.
Still, it is being reported that if Golden State believes they should find a more dependable long-range threat in free agency, they could swap Hield for a Brooklyn Nets star forward enjoying a breakout NBA campaign.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus published an insightful article on Friday that outlined the Warriors’ potential offseason plans, and in the interesting piece, Pincus noted that Hield could be used as trade bait if the Warriors target Cameron Johnson this summer.
The Nets likely won’t be competitive anytime soon, but Johnson has wisely shifted his focus to playing his way out of Brooklyn. He has been a high-level sharpshooter for the Nets, averaging 18.9 points per contest on 47.8 percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent shooting from three-point land.
Johnson, who helped the Phoenix Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021, was a hot commodity during the trade season.
The six-foot-eight forward was linked to several Eastern and Western Conference contenders, but a deal never came to fruition, forcing Johnson to finish the year with the Nets.
It is being reported that a concerning end to Hield’s 2024-25 campaign could compel the Warriors to consider a potential upgrade by acquiring Brooklyn’s second-leading scorer in a blockbuster summer deal.
Essentially, there’s a good chance Johnson will land on Golden State’s radar in the offseason.
Warriors could swap Buddy Hield for Nets’ $94 million star forward this summer Caleb Hightower.