Grade the Trade: Cavaliers get a Buddy in newest pitch

This offseason a number of star players have been shopped around the league, from early executed trades for Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis to a bevy of torturously long negotiations for players such as Damian Lillard, James Harden, Zach LaVine and Pascal Siakam.

As NBA training camps approach, a new name has been introduced into the fray. Not exactly a star, Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers is suddenly on the trading block. Hield and the Pacers are far apart on extension talks, and as Indiana looks to give minutes to their young prospects, Hield could be available to the right bidder.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent all offseason adding shooting, from a four-year deal for Max Strus to shorter contracts for Georges Niang and Ty Jerome. Shooting is the one NBA skill the Cavs can be confident to receive from Emoni Bates, their second-round draft pick. Could the Cavaliers really consider adding another shooter?

To some extent, you can never have too much shooting in the modern NBA, but that obviously comes with caveats. What is the cost to acquire Hield? How will he fit into their salary structure? And will he make their rotation better on both ends of the court?

Let’s lay out a potential trade for Buddy Hield and see whether it makes sense for the Cavaliers to pull the trigger.

It is possible but unlikely that the Cleveland Cavaliers include any of their big four in a deal for Hield. You could perhaps talk your way to a three-way deal involving Jarrett Allen that would throw the Cavs entirely into an offense-focused approach, but once you factor in age and contract that seems far-fetched.

That means that to match Hield’s salary the Cavaliers almost certainly have to include Caris LeVert. That would be a homecoming of sorts for LeVert, who was on the Indiana Pacers when the Cavaliers traded for him in the first place. The Cavs would likely hope to trade Ricky Rubio to the Pacers once again, but it’s more likely the Pacers look for forward depth and ask for Dean Wade.

Here’s what such a deal could look like:

The Indiana Pacers would get a pair of cost-controlled players that are both worthy of their rotation, but can also be flipped in other deals down the line. LeVert and Bennedict Mathurin have a lot of overlapping skills, which can provide stylistic continuity when both are healthy and easy replacement play when one is unavailable. Indiana would be buying low on Wade, who could bounce back in a major way after a shoulder injury hampered him last season.

If this deal were to appeal to the Pacers, would it be worth the while for the Cavaliers?

Buddy Hield is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. In just seven seasons in the league, Hield is already 29th all-time in made 3-pointers. If he hits the same number that he hit this past season he will likely be 20th after next year. The only players to hit more than 260 3-pointers in a season multiple times are Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Buddy Hield. That’s exceptional company to hold.

Here’s the question that has to be asked, however. If Hield is such an exceptional shooter, and shooting is so important to modern NBA offense, why would the Pacers not want to keep him around? Why was he constantly on the trading block in Sacramento?

The answer is a difficult one to parse out. The Pacers were undeniably dangerous on offense when Buddy Hield was on the court, but he gives some of it back on defense. When Hield and Tyrese Haliburton shared the court last season the Pacers had a 117.7 offensive rating; that would have tied the Philadelphia 76ers for the fourth-best rating in the league last season. Unfortunately, they also gave up a 116.8 defensive rating. For the season lineups with Hield had a negative rating; part of that was the rotation around Hield, but much of it was his sieve-like approach to defense.

Are there other reasons? Pure shooters like J.J. Redick and Kyle Korver were poor defenders and their teams still greatly benefited from their presence on the court. Is Hield simply unlucky, and in the right situation he can blossom into that kind of impact? Or is he simply a high-end version of Duncan Robinson or Seth Curry, too damaging on defense to survive?

That’s an important question for the Cavaliers to answer because it would determine whether this kind of trade makes any sense for them to make. Trading for Hield after signing Max Strus would be duplicitous, but Hield unquestionably is a more impactful shooter than Strus. Can he hold up at small forward? Probably not; is it worth $20 million or more per season on a new contract for him to come off the bench?

Loading up on too many small wings is the problem the Cavaliers have already been dealing with. Hield would have a massive target on him defensively. Something has prevented him from being truly wanted by the teams he has played for. Adding him could easily turn into a mistake.

And yet. His combination of shooting accuracy and volume is unheard of outside of a star player, and it’s incredibly difficult to acquire such a player. Should the Cavs take a shot? Probably not, especially after already investing in Max Strus, but it’s something to think about. Hield’s shooting is that special.

Grade: B-