Raptors: 3 backup trade targets if Toronto can’t get Kevin Durant
By Mike Luciano
2. Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers
We’ve gone over the idea of trading for Hield in the past, as he remains an elite sharpshooter who is currently stuck on a rebuilding Pacers team. The trade market might be a bit inflated right now, but that shouldn’t stop Ujiri from trying to pry Hield away from Indiana.
2021-22 was an outlier for Hield, as it was the only full year in which he didn’t make 39% of his 3-point attempts. Long regarded as an elite scorer who can pile up the points in a hurry, getting Hield would take Toronto some a solid offense to a genuinely dominant one.
Buddy Hield fills a big hole for the Toronto Raptors.
Hield is a negative defender, which could be a problem for a team so committed to a very specific archetype on that end. Luckily, the addition and development of Gary Trent Jr. show that the Raptors have what is needed to get him performing on a solid level on that end.
The Pacers may have gone after some noteworthy names in the early stages of free agency, but everything about this roster signals that they are looking to start young around Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. The Raptors can give Indiana a head start by taking Hield away.