Buddy Hield says he’ll “probably look for another home” if he can’t work out an extension with the Kings in the next four days, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. Hield’s comments after Wednesday’s preseason game indicate that the stakes are extremely high for the team as Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline approaches.
Hield is reportedly seeking $110MM over four years, which is about $20MM below the maximum four-year deal he’s eligible to receive. Sacramento’s best offer so far has been about $90MM, which Hield has been unwilling to accept. That gap raises the prospect of an unhappy season for one of the team’s key pieces, who will become a restricted free agent next summer if no deal is reached.
“I don’t know if things are going to get done,” Hield told reporters last night. “If it don’t get done, me and my team will look somewhere else, probably look for another home. Until then, we’ll see what happens here. That’s the goal, to be here, and I love Sacramento. But if they don’t want me here, they don’t feel like I’m part of the core — I like respect and loyalty and I feel like I’m part of the group that’s been getting the team back where it needs to be. So like I said I want to be here, but if they don’t want me here I’ll find somewhere else to be.”
Hield played all 82 games last season and led the team in scoring at 20.7 PPG. He was the centerpiece of the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans in 2017 and launched the Kings’ latest rebuilding effort.
Negotiations with Hield are especially significant, Jones notes, because they may affect the way that other young players view the organization when it’s time for their extensions. GM Vlade Divac reportedly promised a super-max deal to Cousins before the trade, and the decision to change course has created a sense of distrust toward the front office among some players and their agents.
Coming off a 39-win season and with a wealth of young talent on their roster, the Kings have started to shed their reputation as a poorly-run franchise. But letting a player like Hield get away would be a major setback. Of course, if Hield reaches restricted free agency, Sacramento would be able to match any offer sheet he signs, but the club may want to risk the situation getting more contentious.
The fourth-year shooting guard believes he deserves to be rewarded for his role in putting the franchise on the right track.
“My job is to go out there and hoop and play for the max,” Hield said. “If every player is not playing for the max, I don’t know why you’re in the NBA. And some people will get the max, some people won’t, that’s how it works. But my job is to go out there and kill every night so I can be that max player. And I feel like, especially a market like this, Sacramento, you guys have been covering basketball all your life. Name one big free agent that came to Sacramento.”
Fine for Buddy to be frustrated but taking to to the media is garbage.
Helps him leverage his situation. Everyone does it, not that that makes it right.But to be fair I feel like what he’s asking for isn’t unreasonable given his peers.
Don’t interview athletes if you don’t want to hear what they have to say. Talking to the media is literally a part of the job.
Fine to harbor resentment to your father but making it your username is garbage.
Player willing take less team still low balls him, classic.
It doesn’t help that they just gave Barnes nearly as much as they’re offering Hield. If Barnes is worth what he got (he’s not), then Hield is worth $30 million a year
That last remark was kind of disrespectful – his own GM is a hall of fame player that signed with Sacto as FA.
FIBA HoF, but I don’t disagree with your general point. Let’s put it this way, Vlade was at least as good as Hield is.
Ok, but he is literally the only guy and that was 20+ years ago. After Divac, the next best FA signing was who? Bobby Jackson? Beno Udrih? Darren Collison? Hield has a valid point. Sacramento is not a FA destination
Brad Miller? Lol
Oops. I doubt it was an intentional dig. Like Hield said of himself, he has very limited objectives, and knowledge was not mentioned as one.
Tough situation for Divac.
I like Buddy, but his skillset isn’t impossible to replicate elsewhere. He’s a volume scorer and little else – not a strong rebounder, not a strong passer or creator, and not a standout on D.
That’s what most of the league is these days.
Devin Booker, Zach LaVine, Tim Hardaway and so on
Paying a one dimensional player like Hield $30/million a year would be a mistake, even if he’s very good at that one dimension. Letting him leave for nothing would be an even bigger mistake. And making him stay by matching a restricted offer never works out.
At this point, the only play is to give him what he wants or trade him. But no one is going to give Sacramento what they want here… Heild is an overpay waiting to happen, and he’s threatening to demand a trade.
Whatever happens, Heild overplayed this hand. He’s going to end up in Detroit or playing for Knicks as a result.
This is his first contract. Been in the league ONLY 3 yrs starting his fourth, and now DEMANDS more than the Max, after just 3 days ago stating he would take less to stay here. Fine we OFFERED him a MAX Deal for a player w/ just 3 yrs in and he turns it down. My opinion, his defense is lacking and SG are dime a dozen in this league. Trade him and Dedmond to Oklahoma for Steven Adams and then sign Bogdanovic to a Max Extension and he will be your starter at shooting guard and we have also solved our Center Position.
What article did you read? He asking for 20 mil less than the max and they offered him 40 mil less. He is getting lowballed because he said he would take less. Also how is bogdan worth the max and hiled isn’t in your head?
Obviously the best player on the Kings team is Fox and second to him is Heild. They like to play together and the team has improved since he has joined. When you consider Paul, Wall, Wiggins and stuff all make huge dollars, even Barnes on that team is getting overpaid what he’s asking for isn’t a heck of a lot.
I like the way the Kings are moving and Heild is a big part of that I think if they were to make a move it should be for a young SF like Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram or Kevin Knox.
I wonder if Hield would be satified with his own figure, 27.5 per, for all 4 years. He talks about max.
If his “team” wants brighter lights than Sacto, that will always be a problem.
Divac overpaid for FAs this year, esp Barnes, and Hield sees a situation he can jump on.
I predict the four days will pass with no extension.