As much as Buddy Hield's lack of on-court impact made a trade unsurprising, his departure from the Golden State Warriors still brought a sad element given his personality and presence in the locker room.
If that wasn't unfortunate enough for the veteran sharpshooter, his fate at the Atlanta Hawks has already been sealed just a month after the trade that saw him depart the Warriors.
Hawks don't appear to want a future with Buddy Hield
Hield appeared in 44 games and made three starts for Golden State before the trade, but has made only one appearance for the Hawks in a strong sign of where his future lies beyond this season.
The 33-year-old played less than five minutes and put up just one 3-point attempt against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 9, yet has since recorded eight-straight DNPs in a Hawks rotation that also acquired guards/wings CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert and Gabe Vincent in mid-season trades.
Even in blowout games, including last weekend in a 135-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Hield is failing to see the floor as head coach Quin Snyder opts to keep the Bahamian stapled to the bench.
Hield has a partially guaranteed deal for $9.7 million next season, but based on his complete lack of rotation role right now, it's impossible to see the Hawks having him on the roster at that number going forward.
It's far more likely that the Hawks either guarantee that contract and immediately trade Hield for a rotational upgrade in the offseason, or simply pay out the $3 million that's guaranteed and waive the 10-year veteran.
Buddy Hield just hasn't been the same over the past three seasons
The fact's are that this decline to eight-straight DNPs has been three seasons coming, with Hield never quite the same player since 2022-23 where he averaged 16.8 points on a blistering 42.5% 3-point shooting with the Indiana Pacers.
His 3-point percentage dropped to 38.6% the following season, then to 37% in a very up-and-down first year with the Warriors. Hield will always be fondly remembered for his performance in Game 7 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets, but he was unable to carry on that playoff momentum in shooting a career-low 34.4% from beyond the arc this season.
It will be interesting to see what happens and especially if he hits free agency again, but it's becoming clear that Hield's future doesn't lie with the Hawks beyond the next 19 games (and the postseason).