Warriors ‘working to finalize’ a sign-and-trade for Buddy Hield

Things are heating up!

The Golden State Warriors might not have landed the big fish that they chased in Paul George, but they just might settle for the man that George is replacing. Late on Tuesday night, a surprising report came down from The Athletic’s Shams Charania: the Warriors are closing in on an agreement with sharpshooter Buddy Hield, and working on a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Hield would play a massive role in replacing some of the shooting that was lost by the departure of Klay Thompson, who agree to a three-year, $50 million sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Hield is one of the best three-point marksmen in the league, having shot 38.6% from distance last year, 42.5% the year before, and 40.0% for his career. He’s not the highest-volume scorer — he averaged just 12.1 points per game last year — but he’s only two years removed from averaging 18.2 points. He moves very well off the ball, so he’s likely to be a good fit in the Warriors system.

It’s unclear what the Warriors will have to give up to get Hield, or what contract they’ll agree to, so we’ll have to monitor the situation. But safe to say, after the disappointment of losing Thompson for very little, and waiving Chris Paul, the Warriors have rebounded very nicely by adding Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton, and now possibly Buddy Hield.

Should the Warriors finalize a deal with the 76ers and Hield, I’d guess that the eight-year veteran, who has played for four NBA teams, will come off the bench to provide a spark of offense for a second unit that has mostly struggled over the last few years.