Buddy Hield Finally Gets Minutes, Are Warriors Increasing His Trade Value?

Buddy Hield has been a forgotten piece for the Warriors over the last few months. Last season, Hield was a key piece in the Warriors' rotation. He averaged 11 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, which, although it isn’t outrageously impressive, was a huge help to the Warriors' offense.

Hield even kept the Warriors' playoff hopes alive with an incredible Game 7 performance against the Houston Rockets. He destroyed the Rockets with a 33-point performance that tied the record for the most 3s in Game 7 history.

Unfortunately, this season, Hield didn’t start where he left off.

This year, Buddy is averaging only 7.4 points per game and is shooting under 33% from deep. Last season, he shot 37% from beyond the arc. Because Buddy’s offensive production has sunk, Kerr hasn’t been able to play him. He’s been riding the bench for weeks, until Saturday’s game against the Hornets.

Buddy got 18 minutes of playing time against the Hornets, and he made the most of it. He scored 14 points, had three assists, two steals, and three blocks in his limited playing time.

Is Kerr putting Buddy back in the lineup because he wants to start playing him again? Or was it for a different reason? Something like showcasing him for a trade?

The Warriors love Buddy’s personality, but unfortunately, they have bigger basketball issues to address. Buddy’s contract is extremely tradeable, and to make a lot of potential trades work for the Warriors, they may need to include it in the deal.

So Buddy fans shouldn’t get too excited about seeing Hield back in the lineup; it could be just for show.