The Warriors Used What They Got For Klay Thompson To Add Buddy Hield In A Sign-And-Trade

When Klay Thompson opted to leave the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors found themselves in serious need of adding some three-point shooting on the free agent market. While Thompson may not be the All-Star he once was, he still was second on the team in scoring (17.9 points per game) and knocked down 38.7 percent of his threes on nine attempts per game.

Filling that void wasn’t going to be easy, but on Thursday the Warriors were able to land the best pure shooter on the market to help replace what was lost in that area with Thompson’s departure, agreeing to a sign-and-trade with the Sixers to bring in Buddy Hield. Hield will be brought into the trade exception created in the Thompson deal, and will send one of the second round picks they acquired for Klay to Philly.

The contract for Hield is fairly complex as it is technically a 4-year deal, but only two are guaranteed, with a partial guarantee on the third year and a player option for a non-guaranteed fourth year.

Hield never quite found his footing as part of the Sixers rotation last season, as he was not much of a factor for them by the time they reached the postseason, but he did shoot 38.6 percent from three on 6.8 attempts per game last season in Indiana and Philadelphia, and will bring some needed floor spacing to the Warriors backcourt rotation. Hield will likely fill the bench shooting role the Warriors envisioned for Thompson this season, as Brandin Podziemski figures to take the starting two-guard spot.

This trade will ultimately be part of a five-team deal, bringing in the Kyle Anderson sign-and-trade and Klay Thompson deal as well to allow both Hield and Anderson to be brought in via the money being sent out with Klay.