The Golden State Warriors tried to land a superstar at the trade deadline but settled instead for moving on from the Jonathan Kuminga saga. Golden State traded Kuminga and veteran shooting guard Buddy Hield for stretch-big Kristaps Porzingis. Everyone has weighed in on their efforts, including longtime Dubs rival LeBron James.
James spoke on his podcast “Mind the Game” about some of the significant deals of the trade deadline alongside co-host Steve Nash. The Warriors’ trade was brought up on the show’s most recent episode, and LeBron said he thinks that the Warriors will miss Buddy Hield for his speed and shooting.
With all due respect, LeBron James is dead wrong.
The Warriors are having a tumultuous season
Things have taken a significant turn for the worse for the Warriors over the last month. Jimmy Butler tearing his ACL effectively ended their slim hopes of contention this season. Next came a failed bid to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, likely signaling he will never come to The Bay Area.
After settling for Porzingis, the Warriors then learned that Curry will miss time with a knee injury -- one that has him out for at least another week and likely longer. Their season is teetering on the edge of the cliff, and hope of doing anything noteworthy in the postseason has dwindled to a speck.
What the Porzingis trade offers is a chance to reset, to move on from Kuminga and clear Buddy Hield’s money off the books for next season. If a larger move is available this summer, the Warriors can walk away from Porzingis, who is a pending free agent. If not, they can negotiate a new contract that pays him a reasonable amount given his limited availability due to injury and illness.
On the court, Porzingis is an ideal fit on the Warriors, as Nash notes on the podcast. LeBron agreed that he is a perfect fit for their system and style of play. He also notes what everyone knows about Kuminga, that he is extremely talented and never found a way to break through in Golden State.
Then he turns to Hield, and expresses that giving up Buddy “must have been hard for Golden State” and that they are going to miss his “speed and shooting.” And perhaps losing another shooter from the roster is a hair less than ideal -- but the reality is that what Hield was taking away from the team was much greater than what he offered as a movement shooter.
Buddy Hield was hurting the Warriors
By the trade deadline, Hield was effectively out of the rotation. On a roster flush with shooting guards, he was pushed to the fringe. He shot just 34.2 percent from 3-point range this season, barely delivering on his role as a shooter when he did see the court.
He was also one of the very worst defenders in the NBA, not facilitating ball-movement to any appreciable degree -- a must in a Steve Kerr system -- and the team was significantly worse when he took the court. The Warriors are a better team merely by jettisoning Hield, not to mention the savings of getting off of his contract for next season.
LeBron is speaking to reputation, and Hield likely still has a strong reputation among his peers. He is certainly a likable locker room guy, and the threat of his shooting still prompts the defense to respond. But James is just not paying attention to how Hield has been playing.
The Warriors are better off without Hield -- and they aren’t going to miss his on-court impact one bit. No matter where their season goes from here, they are better in the present and the future by moving off of Hield and his contract.
Sorry, Mr. The King. You missed on this one.