Free agency was filled with moves by the Cleveland Cavaliers for improved outside shooting at the wing and forward spots.
The inclusion of Max Strus and Georges Niang gives Cleveland an injection of shooting they desperately lacked last season and playoffs. As it stands now, the Cavaliers have a forward lineup of Strus, Isaac Okoro, Niang, and Dean Wade. Caris LeVert will spend some time at the small forward spot, too, but is likely to play primarily as a combo guard.
Though the Cavs have made strides in the right direction, there is no reason to stop adding shooting talent when it is available. With all the talent on the roster, they still have some question marks entering next season. As it so happens, one of the league’s premiere shooters has suddenly entered the trade market in Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers, per a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (subscription required).
Hield’s departure from Indiana comes from a fractured extension negotiation, meaning that any team trading for Hield should consider him either a one-year rental or be prepared to commit long-term salary following the trade.
With the NBA cap space rising every season, extending Buddy Hield does not mean his new team will be unable to make any moves next offseason. Conversely, extending Hield now would give an organization his Bird Rights and allow them to manage their financials more easily than signing Hield outright in the summer.
After the Cavaliers’ moves this summer, they still have room to improve at every position. Targeting a trade before training camp could help them toward their goals. With that being said, Hield is not a miracle option for Cleveland.
Hield has plenty of upside for the Cavaliers, but trading for him is not a perfectly done deal with no issues.
With Hield and the Pacers collaborating on a trade for the veteran sharpshooter, there will undoubtedly be 28 other teams than the Cavaliers calling the Pacers to gauge the price tag. In the modern NBA, Hield’s skillset as a deadeye wing can help any team that trades for him on offense.
Last season, Hield shot 42.5 percent from deep and 47.6 percent from the corner on high volume. When the Cavaliers signed Niang this summer, his 52.6 percent corner 3-point percentage was the biggest highlight for Niang’s fit on the roster. Per game, Hield attempted 1.6 corner threes, and Niang attempted only one per contest. With a similar sample size, having two lethal corner sharpshooters elevates Cleveland’s perimeter capabilities tenfold.
From a team building perspective, Hield could easily help the Cavaliers enter the league’s best of the best in terms of long range shooting. Last season, Hield had the second-most 3-pointers made, second only behind Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. Putting a shooter of his caliber on the court with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen alleviates much of the problems involved in their floor spacing.
Hield has yet to shoot under 36.6 percent from deep over an entire season in his career. Over his career, Hield has average 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists, giving him another tool to impact a team. At 30 years old, Hield still has plenty of years left of high-level NBA play.
Additionally, Hield is a highly durable talent, rarely missing time on the court. Last season, Hield played 80 games, the fifth time in his career that he has played 80 or more games in his seven-year career. In a league where availability is often the best ability any player can offer to a team, Hield is a constant presence on the court. With consistent offensive production on a nightly basis, Buddy Hield has established a career as one of the Association’s most capable, consistent producers on the perimeter.
Unfortunately, Hield’s flaws begin to emerge outside of his 3-point shooting production. At least on the Cavaliers, Hield would likely find himself in a similar predicament to the one he faces in Indiana.
Hield’s departure from Indiana comes from a fractured extension negotiation, meaning that any team trading for Hield should consider him either a one-year rental or be prepared to commit long-term salary following the trade.
Realistically, the Cavaliers will open the season with Max Strus in the starting five and Isaac Okoro off the bench. Both players are only 6-foot-5, giving the Cavs an undersized forward rotation next to an undersized starting backcourt duo in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Adding Hield into the mix slots in a 6-foot-4 wing, only stacking onto their current issue. The fit for Hield would not be obvious in Cleveland.
Over his career, Hield has played 59 percent of his time at the shooting guard position. In the Land, Hield would need to spend the majority of his minutes in the backcourt rather than serving as a forward. Theoretically, Buddy Hield as a backup shooting guard is a terrific fit for the Cavaliers; however, trading for Hield to fulfill LeVert’s current role would be a perplexing move when LeVert is not currently available for trade.
There is a reasonable argument that Hield would be more impactful for the Cavaliers than LeVert has been in his role, but LeVert’s trade restriction from his new contract would leave him ineligible for trades until Dec. 15. This would mean the Cavaliers would need to trade away players such as Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, or Jarrett Allen to bring Hield to Cleveland. This Cavaliers’ depth would disappear at a number of other positions, leading to new problems for the team to solve with more shallow options of trade assets.
Currently, Hield is owed a guaranteed $18.5 million this season with some additional incentives included. For the Cavaliers, acquiring Hield would require one of two pathways currently, considering the trade restrictions on Caris LeVert and other Cavaliers who signed their contracts this summer. Cleveland would either need to trade Jarrett Allen or combine a collection of smaller salaries in order to complete the deal. With a questionable fit on the roster, Hield would not end up the right choice to invest an expensive contract for Cleveland’s future.
Along with that, Hield’s overall playstyle does not make up for his undersized height enough to make him the right solution at the three spot for Cleveland. Even though Hield can maintain his poise on defense, he is a far cry away from the point of attack defender that Okoro has become and lacks the positional versatility on defense that Max Strus can provide. The cost to acquire Buddy Hield would leave the Cavaliers with too little flexibility for future moves this season.
Hield’s lackluster defense and height further confuses his fit on the Cavaliers. He would not provide the team with a skillset that cannot be provided similarly by another player. His shooting is phenomenal, but the Cavaliers would not be able to maximize his value.
Considering Hield’s career 3-point shooting prowess, trading for him would make the Cavs instantly better on the surface, but his salary and other drawbacks make Hield a poor trade target for Cleveland right now.