Pacers to Seek Possible Buddy Hield Trade After Contract Talks Stall

The Pacers and shooting guard Buddy Hield may be looking to move on after failing to reach agreement on a contract extension, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

While Hield is open to a trade, the Pacers have not taken part in any substantive talks with rival teams, Charania added.

Indiana did offer an extension to Hield, but his camp apparently turned it down. Hield is in the final year of his deal at $19.2 million and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Surely, his production from the perimeter and contract would be considered desirable to opposing teams.

Per Charania, Hield isn’t demanding a trade to a certain team or teams. For now, it seems as if things are in the “sticky situation” phase and not the “trade-me-or-else” phase. But both sides seem as if they are ready to at least explore a parting of ways.

“I love Buddy,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in April, via Charania. “There’s some things that he does that’s not on the court, the way he keeps practice light.”

Hield, 30, averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot 43 percent on 3-pointers in 80 games last season.