Having failed to earn a rotation role after he was traded by the Golden State Warriors at February's mid-season deadline, there was an assumption that the Atlanta Hawks would waive Buddy Hield and his $9.7 million contract for next season.
That could still happen with only $3 million of Hield's contract guaranteed, but the Hawks are giving the veteran sharpshooter a lifeline for the moment in agreeeing to push back the deadline on his deal.
Hawks give Buddy Hield unexpected lifeline after Warriors trade
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes on Thursday, the Hawks and Hield have agreed to push back the deadline, presumably allowing the franchise to explore what they could do in free agency or if they could use the 33-year-old's contract in a trade.
As much as Hield still faces uncertainty over his future, pushing the deadline back is a no-brainer for him because were he to become a free agent, there's really no chance he gets close to making the $9.7 million deal the Hawks are currently mulling over.
Sources: Atlanta Hawks and sharpshooter Buddy Hield have agreed to push back the guaranteed deadline date on his contract so both sides have more time to flush out options. Of his $9.7M salary, $3M is fully guaranteed. Deadline was today. pic.twitter.com/1P9oBgiGi5
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 25, 2026
Hield was a significant part of the Golden State rotation after joining the franchise on a four-year contract during the 2024 offseason, but of which only the first two years were fully guaranteed. He appeared in all 82 games and averaged nearly 23 minutes in his first year, and still averaged 17.5 minutes this past season before being moved to Atlanta, along with former seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga, for veteran center Kristaps Porzingis.
Hield spent less than two years with the Warriors, but certainly made his mark with a memorable and unforgettable Game 7 performance against the Houston Rockets in the first-round of last year's playoffs, going for 33 points on 9-of-11 3-point shooting in the road victory.
Buddy Hield failed to earn much opportunity with the Hawks
Hawks head coach Quin Synder certainly didn't see what Steve Kerr had seen in Hield, choosing not to inject the former sixth overall pick into his rotation over the back half of the season.
Hield was a DNP for 21 of 28 games following his arrival in Atlanta, and even when he went off for 31 points in the regular season finale when the core rotation were all resting, that wasn't enough to grant him any opportunity in the team's first-round playoff series loss to the eventual champion New York Knicks.
It's for this reason that it still feels highly unlikely that Hield will be part of the Hawks entering next season, but his contract could be used in a trade that at least guarantees him one more meaningful pay day before he might have to accept minimum deals going forward.
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