Dallas Mavs ‘Interested’ in Buddy Hield Trade; What's Indiana Pacers' Asking Price?

The Dallas Mavericks are among various NBA teams that have "shown interest" in pulling off a trade for Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers. Only time will tell if that will happen before the 2023-24 season tips off for Dallas on Oct. 25.

DALLAS — After reporting surfaced of Buddy Hield's contract talks with the Indiana Pacers stalling, he has become one of the hotter names in trade rumors, especially since the much-anticipated Damian Lillard trade has already happened.

Hield averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 80 games for the Pacers last season. He shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range on 677 total attempts. Given his annual production as one of the league's elite perimeter marksman, teams will have plenty of trade interest. 

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Dallas Mavericks are among the various teams that have shown trade interest in Hield over the last several months, including the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.  

“You look at teams like Dallas, Philly, Milwaukee — those are the types of teams that could definitely use a shooter like Buddy Hield," Charania said. "They’ve had a level of interest in him over the last several months, but of course no deal has happened yet.” 

Hield is set to play the final season of his four-year, $94 million contract in 2023-24, making him a free agent next summer barring any contract extension agreement. It's important for the 30-year-old sharpshooter to maximize his value in a contract year, but also to ensure that he's on a team that will value holding his Bird rights to maximize his earning potential.

Buddy Hield's elite 3-point shooting would make him fit in nicely next to Dallas Mavericks stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic ... but is the Indiana Pacers' asking price too high? / Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

With the Pacers having talented, young options on the wing like Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, the long-term trajectory for Hield to continue to play a large role, particularly as a starter, appears to be over. As a result, the pathway to getting a contract extension done as opposed to ultimately having to navigate the trade market was always a possibility. 

"When you look at the Pacers' roster, one thing — Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers president of basketball operations said in April, 'We might want to extend Buddy Hield.' He was really non-committal, but a lot of it came down to role," Charania said. "They have Bennedict Mathurin, who they drafted last year in the lottery. He's going to have a bigger role this year. He might even begin the year starting and be the full-time starter. Andrew Nembhard, he had a great rookie year as well. He's due for a bigger role in the lineup."

As the Pacers' roster currently stands, Hield is projected to come off the bench behind Mathurin. Naturally, a veteran player is unlikely to remain satisfied with their current situation if they need to play at their best and are facing a diminished outlook to make an impact. The situation appears likely to play out into the regular season. 

"Buddy Hield is likely looking at a reserve role and we'll see how that takes place and how that impacts him — his role, his value, his stats," Charania said. "I think that's why it's going to likely go into the season as far as Buddy Hield and his future in Indiana."

The Mavs have a few options regarding salary cap navigation to match salary in a trade for Hield's salary worth $19.3 million. The cleanest option would be to include either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Richaun Holmes in a deal. Given the overlap that would occur with Hardaway remaining after a Hield trade, his inclusion in a trade framework would be more naturally fitting. 

A potential challenge for the Mavs would be the need to include future draft capital to reach a trade agreement, given that the Pacers' asking price is high. The team is limited to only parting with a 2027 first-round pick until the last outgoing pick owed conveys to the New York Knicks from the Kristaps Porzingis trade back in 2019. Hield could potentially depart in free agency next summer.

The Mavs have often been mentioned in trade rumors as shopping Hardaway. The cost-benefit of upgrading Hardaway's shooting impact to Hield would need to be weighed since the Mavs would be adding a 6-foot-4 perimeter player who is a limited defender. For a team that ranked 25th in defensive rating and 30th in total rebounding percentage last season largely due to a lack of positional size, those limitations would need to be weighed.

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