Buddy Hield

Sixers Notes: Harris, Melton, Batum, Hield

April 19th, 2024 at 2:48pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers and veteran forward Tobias Harris are expected to part ways once the 2023/24 season concludes, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Harris, who averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.1 APG and 1.0 SPG on .487/.353/.878 shooting in 70 regular season games, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

“Several” league executives believe the Pistons could pursue Harris, who had a previous stint with Detroit, but the 31-year-old is expected to draw interest from a variety of suitors, Pompey reports.

As Pompey writes, Harris wasn’t at his best in Philadelphia’s play-in victory over Miami on Wednesday, recording just nine points (on 40% shooting), though he did grab 10 rebounds and dish out four assists in nearly 32 minutes. Many of his teammates struggled on offense as well, Pompey notes.

Harris was benched for the final four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, which head coach Nick Nurse primarily chalked up to exhaustion (Twitter video link PHLY Sixers). Nurse said the 76ers will likely choose between “six or seven guys” — including Harris — for closing lineups in their first-round series vs. New York.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

De’Anthony Melton did not practice on Friday and will not play in Saturday’s Game 1, but Nurse said the 25-year-old has not been ruled out for the entire series, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Melton, who is another of Philadelphia’s many impending free agents, has been limited to just five games since January 12 due to a lumbar spine injury.
As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic details, Philadelphia pushed for Nicolas Batum to be included in the James Harden trade with the Clippers back in November, and the veteran swingman showed how valuable he can be on both ends of the court in Wednesday’s victory. The 35-year-old scored 20 points, including 17 in the second half, and had a key block on Tyler Herro‘s three-point attempt with 26 seconds remaining. Batum is playing on an expiring $11.7MM contract and is set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason.
He is only credited for 84, since the NBA doesn’t officially include the in-season tournament final or play-in games, but sharpshooter Buddy Hield holds the unusual distinction of playing 86 games this season before making the playoffs for the first time in his career, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Hield, who was acquired from Indiana at the trade deadline, has been the league’s most durable player during his eight NBA seasons, Bontemps notes. The Bahamian guard will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Hield, Holiday, Quickley

April 15th, 2024 at 8:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Third-year Nets shooting guard Cam Thomas is hoping to show the league at large that he is capable of being a two-way force in the NBA, reports C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News.

“My numbers are up there with some of the best of them, honestly,” Thomas told Holmes. “Mine are just overlooked because not that many people know me, I’m not the most vocal, talking and all that stuff. But if you just look at my numbers, my numbers are up there with some of the best of them… I think I just go under the radar a little bit because I’m not really on social media as much.”

Across 66 bouts this season (51 starts), the 6’4″ wing out of LSU posted a career-high 22.5 points per game on .442/.364/.856 shooting, along with 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG and 0.7 SPG.

“I feel like I have so much more room to grow,” Thomas said. “I just want people to see that I have the potential to do that instead of just trying to keep me low.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Sixers shooting guard Buddy Hield is nearing his first-ever playoffs, writes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Philadelphia still needs to advance beyond the play-in tournament to officially make the playoffs, however. As Smith notes, Hield is currently the active player with the most games played who has yet to appear in the playoffs. His 631 regular season contests represent the fourth-most ever for a player without a single playoff appearance.
Further details have emerged regarding Celtics combo guard Jrue Holiday‘s lucrative new contract extension, Smith tweets. It’s a fully-guaranteed, four-year, $134.4MM deal, which will not include any bonuses or incentives. The two-time All-Star will earn $30MM in his first season under this new contract (2024/25), and $37.2MM in his last (2027/28).
Newly-acquired Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will be a restricted free agent this summer and is comfortable with the idea of sticking with his new team going forward. “Obviously the team and my agent have to handle everything but I love being here in Toronto,” Quickley said, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). “Since the day I got here they’ve done nothing but show me love.”

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Embiid, Hield, Harris, Melton, Covington

April 4th, 2024 at 10:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is reveling in Philadelphia’s new outlook on playoff life with the return of superstar center Joel Embiid, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It’s like the first day of school again,” Oubre said after the team beat the Thunder 109-105 Tuesday, in part thanks to Embiid’s 24-point, seven-assist, six-rebound night. “You’re kind of coming back from spring break or winter break, and you know you’ve got your friend back. He’s the cool guy in class that we’ve definitely been missing… But that’s our team. We built this team around him, and we have to continue to just polish the pieces around it so we can be a well-oiled machine.”

The Sixers followed up Tuesday’s victory with a big win over Miami on Thursday, pulling within a half-game of the Heat for the No. 7 spot in the East and one game of Indiana for No. 6.

In his two games back, Embiid is averaging 26.5 points, 5.5 assists and five rebounds. Embiid had been away from the club for eight weeks following a meniscus injury, and in that time the Sixers have fallen from the top of the Eastern Conference into the play-in tournament bracket.

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

Sixers swingman Buddy Hield, who joined the team at February’s trade deadline, is looking forward to developing his chemistry with Embiid, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I just think he does provide open looks,” Hield said. “He’s just so good in the short roll, and his big body, and he’s always [being double-teamed, so] teams overlook guys and you just have to be ready for the catch-and-shoot.”
Sixers forward Tobias Harris, who hurt his left knee late in the win over the Thunder, missed the team’s matchup against the Heat tonight due to that knee injury, per Pompey (Twitter link). Pompey tweets that imaging indicated Harris incurred a bone bruise, but he may only be sidelined for a game or two, a source tells The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Sixers are still hoping that two key role players will, like Embiid before them, return to the hardwood before the end of the season, writes Pompey in another piece. Starting shooting guard De’Anthony Melton has been on the shelf for the club since February 27 with lumbar spine bone stress. Combo forward Robert Covington hasn’t played since December 30 due to a left knee bone bruise. “I think we’re still trying,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “I think they’re getting on the court. That’s always a good sign so I think they’re still a little ways away… I don’t think we’ll rule them out unless we absolutely have to for good, but we’ll see.”

Atlantic Notes: Hield, Randle, Robinson, Anunoby, Schröder

March 13th, 2024 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

After starting his first 13 games with the Sixers, Buddy Hield has come off the bench in back-to-back contests in New York on Sunday and Tuesday. As Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) writes, Hield told reporters after Sunday’s game that he has no complaints about the adjustment to his role.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be permanent or not, but sometimes change is good,” Hield said. “… All these guys have started or come off the bench, so it’s not like a big problem. … We’re NBA players, and we figure out how to adjust.”

As Hield alluded to, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse has been experimenting with different starting lineups for much of the season. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris are the only three players on the roster who have started every game they’ve appeared in this season, and Embiid is currently on the shelf with a knee injury. In total, 18 different Philadelphia players – including 13 who are currently on the roster – have started at least one game in 2023/24.

Hield has averaged over 25 minutes per contest in his first two games off the bench, playing well in a 16-point outing on Sunday and struggling a little with his shot in a 4-of-11 performance on Tuesday. He expressed confidence on Sunday that he’ll continue to be productive even if he’s part of the second unit.

“It’s not about starting all the time,” Hield said. “As long as I go out there and get quality minutes to help this team win, that’s all that matters. I’m going to play my role.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau provided minor injury updates on Julius Randle (shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) on Tuesday, telling reporters – including Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter links) – that Randle is working in “controlled” contact situations, while Robinson is running, jumping, and making “really good, steady progress.” Thibodeau didn’t offer a timeline for Randle to move on to 5-on-5 work.
While the Knicks continue to wait on Randle and Robinson, forward OG Anunoby (elbow) played on Tuesday for the first time since January 27 and provided a reminder of his importance to the team, says Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks outscored Philadelphia by 28 points in Anunoby’s 29 minutes and his teammates benefited on both ends of the court from his presence on the floor, Bondy notes.
Since joining the Nets at last month’s trade deadline, Dennis Schröder has averaged 14.6 points and 5.9 assists in 14 games and has improved the club’s ball movement, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Count center Nic Claxton among those who have been impressed by Schröder’s impact. “He really just, he treats the game right,” Claxton said on Tuesday. “He’s a true competitor, and he holds everybody accountable. He’s a winner. He has really good work habits, he works on his body a lot. … It’s tough being thrown in at the middle of the season, but it’s all starting to come together.”

Pacers Notes: Mathurin, McDermott, Hield, Smith

March 7th, 2024 at 6:11pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Pacers second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin is set to miss at least the next three games, and probably a fourth, as he deals with a sprained right shoulder, according to IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Mathurin will be reevaluated after Indiana’s upcoming two-game road trip that concludes March 12 in Oklahoma City. That reevaluation will come before the Pacers play the second half of a back-to-back against the Bulls on March 13, so it’s unlikely he plays in that game, according to Dopirak.

“We hope it’s not serious,” Carlisle said. “He’s a guy who bounces back very quickly and hates missing game. We hope that it’s relatively short term, but he will miss a week at least.”

Mathurin is averaging 14.5 points per game in his second year in the league.

We have more notes on the Pacers:

There’s still no return timetable for Doug McDermott, who is dealing with a right calf strain. According to Dopirak, as of Saturday, McDermott hadn’t engaged in any on-floor work since suffering his injury on Feb. 26. He’s averaging 5.7 points and shooting 41.5% from three this season.
Buddy Hield recently opened up about his trade from the Pacers, explaining how he didn’t see a future with the organization. “I love Buddy. I wish we could have kept him. The whole organization wishes they could have kept him,” Carlisle said in response to Hield’s comments (Twitter links via Dopirak). “And we could have, but it would have been self-serving for the organization. … He’s one of a kind. I loved him. I loved working with him for two years. He was a total pro with everything with he did.”
Jalen Smith is knocking down a career-high 61.2% of his field goals and 44.3% of his three-point attempts. According to Smith, the key to his better shooting is to stop thinking about knocking them down, Dopirak writes in another story. “I guess it’s just an ‘F-it’ mentality,” Smith said. “I’m pretty much saying if it goes in, it goes in. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” Smith is playing just 17.7 minutes per night in a crowded frontcourt, but has been highly efficient in his limited time and is averaging 20.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Sixers Notes: Hield, Covington, Melton, Payne, Martin

March 6th, 2024 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Buddy Hield wasn’t surprised by the deal that sent him from the Pacers to the Sixers at last month’s trade deadline, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Philadelphia was in the market for shooters, also pursuing ex-Pistons marksman Bojan Bogdanovic, who wound up in New York, sources tell Fischer. Even though he hasn’t been on the court yet with Joel Embiid, who suffered a meniscus injury in late January, Hield is glad to be with the Sixers and believes they can become an effective combination.

“You want to go to a team that wants you. You don’t want to go to a team where you’re a piece and it’s like, ‘We’re gonna try this out,’” Hield said. “Other teams are trapping Embiid, so having a three-point shooter to keep guys honest, I know the reason why I was traded here.”

Hield is averaging 15.5 points per game since joining the Sixers while shooting 44% from the field and 42.2% from beyond the arc. He’s also landed a consistent role in the starting lineup, something that didn’t happen in Indiana as coach Rick Carlisle experimented with different backcourt starters alongside Tyrese Haliburton. Hield said he enjoyed the Pacers’ up-tempo approach, but he didn’t believe he had a future with the team after extension talks failed to produce a new contract.

“If a team doesn’t want to re-sign you, we asked them early and you know how it is. It’s the game,” Hield said. “They say they want to sign you and then after it doesn’t happen, the conversations don’t really keep going on the phone, and it’s like talking to a wall, and nobody’s responding back. But after that, you’re under contract, and you have to, like, honor your contract. So it’s one of those deals where you just gotta come in every day and be professional. But I know that the whole vibe was so different.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

The Sixers say Robert Covington will be reevaluated in about a week for a bone bruise to his left knee and could resume on-court activities in seven-to-10 days, tweets Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. De’Anthony Melton, who is battling a lumbar spine injury, has started an “offloading” program and will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks.
Cameron Payne said he was at about 70% because of the flu Tuesday night, but he opted to play because Tyrese Maxey is in concussion protocol, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I was like, ‘I’m 30 years old. Get out there and play, sick or not,’” Payne said. “‘Just get out there and help your team.’”
KJ Martin has been effective in his new role as a small-ball big man, observes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Martin was seeing an uptick in his playing time before missing three games with an injury last week.

Sixers Notes: Lowry, Hield, Embiid, Harris, Oubre

March 3rd, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyle Lowry has quickly seized the starting point guard spot for the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Lowry had 15 points and 10 assists against Charlotte on Friday. He didn’t shoot it well on Sunday in a four-point victory over Dallas but he dished out seven assists with no turnovers in 33 minutes.

Having Lowry in the starting five will allow reserves Cameron Payne and Kelly Oubre Jr. to play off each other.

“As I said to you [Friday], it was heading that way anyway for the time being,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Trying to get a different combination. And I think that maybe the combination of Cam Payne and Kelly off the bench is a good duo to pair there together. So that’s what I’m trying to get to.”

Lowry signed with Philadelphia in mid-February after being bought out by Charlotte.

We have more on the Sixers:

The 76ers prepared for their win over the Mavericks in a unique way. They held a practice on Saturday at Buddy Hield‘s spacious workout gym at his house in Dallas. “I stay in Dallas in the offseason,” Hield told Pompey. “This is where I work out. This is where my family stays. It’s nothing better to bring the guys to the house and let’s shoot around. You know it’s an early game. So team bonding, you know, see where I stay. … It’s fun.”
Joel Embiid has “started on-court workouts and began lifting 100% of the weight he lifted prior to the injury,” ESPN’s Katie George reported during the broadcast on Sunday (hat tip to Austin Krell). An update on Embiid’s progress from the team is expected at some point this week. The reigning MVP, who underwent knee surgery in early February, expressed optimism during a recent interview that he would return before the end of the season.
Tobias Harris led the offense against Dallas with 28 points and Oubre provided the spark off the bench with 21 points, all but two after halftime. Harris has 59 points in the past two games. “Everybody’s kind of figuring out our chemistry overall as a group,” Harris said, per Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “We knew it was going to take some time … figuring out ways to be successful out there. We’ve just got to stay at it.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Hield, Lowry, Melton, Harris

February 29th, 2024 at 12:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sixers star Joel Embiid said that while “everything has to go right” in his recovery process in order to return to action this season, he still hopes to come back at some point (Twitter video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

“There’s really no timeline,” Embiid said. ” … You can never tell how the body reacts, especially once you start ramping up. So, it all depends on how it feels. If it feels great, then that’s good. And if it doesn’t feel like it’s right, then you gotta keep going.”

When asked why he wanted to return this season after undergoing knee surgery to repair his torn lateral meniscus, Embiid said his motivation was simple.

“I just love playing basketball,” he said. “I want to be on the floor as much as possible. I only have about 20 years to do this, so any chance that I get, I want to be out on the floor. It doesn’t really matter where we are (in the standings), just want to play as much as we can and try to help us.”

Embiid also confirmed that he still plans to play for Team USA in the Olympics this summer.

“It’s the same mindset: If I feel good, I’m playing,” Embiid said. “If it doesn’t feel right, then (I’ve) gotta make those tough decisions. … It’s all about how I feel.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Embiid admitted he’d been battling knee pain for some time leading up to the last game he played in late January, when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his knee while diving for a loose ball, per PHLY Sixers (Twitter video link). “For really, two months, I was not at 100 percent,” Embiid. “I was not even close to it. And I just felt the need to give it my all to the team, and just wanted to win because I know I can add that to this basketball team.” Still, Embiid said he wouldn’t have changed his approach.
The seven-time All-Star also praised Philadelphia’s moves before and after the trade deadline, particularly the additions of Buddy Hield and Kyle Lowry, saying it was “as good as (the front office) could do” under the circumstances, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Embiid said he was excited to develop synergy with Hield and added that Lowry is still “really freaking good” despite being at the tail end of his illustrious career.
After battling a back injury that caused him to miss 18 straight games, guard De’Anthony Melton returned to action last Friday against Cleveland. However, he exited Tuesday’s loss to Boston after just nine minutes due to back spasms and has been ruled out for Friday’s contest vs. Charlotte, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters, including Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
Veteran forward Tobias Harris has been in an offensive rut of late, averaging just 10.8 PPG on 31.3% shooting from the floor over the past five games. Nurse discussed what he’d like to see from Harris going forward, according to PHLY Sixers (via Twitter). “I want him to just let it come to him a little bit, and I certainly want him to do other things,” Nurse said. “You still gotta defend, and rebound, and draw offense for other people, set screens, and make sure it’s not, like, totally wrapped up in trying to get off the slump. I think he’s doing that.”

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Knicks, Olynyk, Agbaji, Brown, Sixers

February 11th, 2024 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks appear to have avoided an injury scare with Jalen Brunson, as the All-Star point guard returned to the lineup on Saturday following a one-game absence due to an ankle sprain. Brunson showed no ill effects from the injury, scoring 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post.

Despite Brunson’s return and the debuts of newly acquired role players Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, the Knicks remained shorthanded due to injuries and lost on Saturday to Indiana, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. The team is especially banged up in the frontcourt, where Precious Achiuwa was forced to play 43 minutes vs. the Pacers. With Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jericho Sims all inactive, Taj Gibson logged 19 minutes on the first day of his second 10-day contract with New York.

“I thought for the first game (with the new additions), there were some obviously good things and obviously there’s a lot for them to adjust to. As a team, I think we have to do a lot better,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’re shorthanded. We’re going to have to play a lot harder and a lot tougher.”

While their first game with the Knicks didn’t go as planned, both Bogdanovic and Burks expressed excitement about the opportunity to join a playoff team after spending the first half of the season with the league-worst Pistons. According to Botte, Burks – a former Knick – didn’t want to leave New York in the first place and said repeatedly that he’s “glad to be back.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca details, new Raptors Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji both have connections to the franchise — Olynyk grew up in Toronto rooting for the Raptors, while Agbaji’s father is old friends with team president Masai Ujiri. The two former Jazz players expressed excitement about their new circumstances, with Agbaji suggesting it feels like a “fresh new start” and Olynyk noting that he and the Raptors have had mutual interest in the past. “It’s always been on our radar, both of our radars,” the big man said. “I think maybe it’s been close [before], but it’s hard for me to know [for sure]… But [now that] it did happen, it’s pretty awesome.”
Raptors wing Bruce Brown was considered one of the top trade candidates on the market leading up to the deadline, but he ended up staying put. He’s happy with that outcome, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets. “It feels great, it feels great,” said Brown, whose contract includes a $23MM team option for 2024/25. “Obviously it’s nice to have some stability. … I”m glad to be here for the rest of the season and then try and work things out.”
Although the Raptors were enthusiastic about the moves they made on the trade market, they’ve completed a full-fledged overhaul of their roster in the past six weeks or so, and their lack of continuity showed in Saturday’s blowout loss to Cleveland, Grange writes at Sportsnet.ca. “Obviously, it’s really tough,” Olynyk said. “You don’t know really what’s going on on both ends of the floor. I think that was probably pretty evident in the first half.”
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at a “whirlwind” couple days for Sixers trade deadline additions Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne, who played significant minutes as starters for an injury-depleted Philadelphia team on Friday, then helped lead their new club to a victory in Washington on Saturday.

Pacers Notes: Hield, McDermott, Siakam, Draft Picks

February 10th, 2024 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers looked “lifeless” during a 22-point home loss to Golden State on Thursday, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. While it’s unlikely that Buddy Hield would have made up those 22 points and changed the outcome of Thursday’s game, the team seemed to be missing his “infectious spirit” hours after he was traded to Philadelphia, Dopirak observes.

“People just think about on the court,” Pacers center Myles Turner said in discussing Hield. “People don’t think about chemistry and energy and what he brings to our locker room, to our team. … His energy’s infectious. It’s something we’re definitely going to be missing. We gotta find a way to make it up somehow, someway. He’ll definitely be missed.”

The decision to trade the veteran sharpshooter to a conference rival was a bit of a curious one for a team that held the No. 6 seed in the East entering the deadline and was right on the heels of the No. 5 Sixers, Hield’s new team. However, Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star has heard that Hield, who was unable to come to terms on an extension with Indiana earlier in 2023/24, asked to be dealt.

Explaining the move in the wake of the trade deadline, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan referred to it as a “tough” decision to move Hield, but strongly hinted that the team wasn’t confident about its ability to re-sign him beyond this season. He said he hopes the Pacers players understand that the move – which netted multiple second-round picks – can pay dividends in the long run.

“Our team has done a great job of putting us in position to be a contender for a playoff spot,” Buchanan said. “Today was one of those decisions that maybe feels like it wasn’t helping the team now, but we’re trying to look long term and I can’t emphasize that enough with this group.

“… Any time you acquire draft capital, that puts you in position to make moves down the road to improve your team. I think you saw a lot of moves (Thursday) that involved a lot of second-round picks. There were players obviously involved, but draft capital is a really important thing to building a team and we acquired a lot of that today that we think could be beneficial down the road to help build the team. We acquired a pick last year at the draft that helped us obtain Pascal (Siakam). Draft capital is very valuable currency in the transaction business in our league.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

The Pacers also acquired Doug McDermott in their three-team deal with Philadelphia and San Antonio. They began pursuing McDermott, another three-point specialist, after realizing they wouldn’t be keeping Hield, according to Buchanan. “We knew when there was a possibility we were losing the caliber of shooter we were losing in Buddy, your first instinct is, ‘Can you replace it?'” the GM said, per Dopirak. “There were candidates we looked at for that. Some were available, some were not. Doug is a guy who Rick (Carlisle) has coached before, we’ve obviously had him here as a Pacer before, but he’s never played with our group. He’s super-excited to come play with this group, the way we play, the way the ball moves, the pace we play at.”
The Pacers made their biggest in-season trade in January when they acquired Siakam from Toronto. As Dopirak relays, Buchanan also discussed that move this week, confirming that they view the forward as someone who will be with the team long-term: “That’s still the goal. He’s been a great fit so far. I think he’s happy so far.”
In a separate story for The Indianapolis Star, Dopirak takes a look at the impact Indiana’s deadline moves will have on the team going forward. As Dopirak points out, although the Pacers received three second-round picks for Hield, they used one to bring in McDermott and sold another second-rounder to Golden State for cash. That means, with Cory Joseph and Furkan Korkmaz already waived and McDermott unlikely to be re-signed, the only deadline asset the Pacers will be left with beyond this season is a single second-rounder.

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