Hawks quickly come to Buddy Hield realization Warriors made weeks ago

After 122-straight games for the Golden State Warriors (including playoffs), Steve Kerr realized in late December that Buddy Hield didn't need to be a guaranteed member of the rotation.

While Kerr and the Warriors made that decision weeks ago, it hasn't taken the Atlanta Hawks long to come to the same conclusion after Hield was traded to the franchise in the deal that brought back Kristaps Porzingis before last week's deadline.

Buddy Hield already seeing limited minutes with the Hawks

Hield was a DNP in his first active game for Atlanta against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, before seeing his first action during Monday's blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. In doing so, Hield became the first player part of the trade to take the floor, with Porzingis and Jonathan Kuminga both unable to return until after the All-Star break.

Hield's minutes were still incredibly limited though, playing less than five in the first-half and not being seen again as the Hawks suffered a 138-116 loss. Even without primary starters Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels who were both sidelined, there was little room for Hield who missed his only 3-point attempt and recored one turnover while otherwise going stat-less.

Hield's performance certainly didn't draw attention on Monday night, but his Facetime with now former teammate Jimmy Butler did go viral as the veteran sharpshooter commented on Instagram, "Why you trade me" with a crying emoji.

This just confirms that despite his reduced playing time in recent weeks, Hield wanted to remain with Golden State where he signed a four-year, $37.8 million contract in the 2024 offseason. Atlanta also wasn't really the place he would have ideally ended up either, with the franchise having already acquired a number of guards this season.

The Hawks sent franchise cornerstone Trae Young to the Washington Wizards last month, bringing back CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert as two defensively-challenged scoring guards who will be above Hield in the rotation. So too was former Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent who played 19 minutes off the bench against the Timberwolves.

It's subsequently hard to see a pathway for Hield to earn consistent minutes over the remainder of the season, and therefore difficult to see Atlanta picking up a contract that's only partially-guaranteed for $3 million next season.

Hield averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 44 games with the Warriors this season before the trade, shooting just 43.3% from the floor and 34.4% from 3-point range.