Amid a struggling 24-25 season and fewer than two weeks ahead of the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are searching for reinforcements to an underwhelming roster. Much like last summer, one of those reinforcements appears to be Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who Los Angeles nearly acquired back in August before taking the package they reportedly offered for him, adding to it, and trading for Russell Westbrook.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers have once again contacted Sacramento about a deal for Hield, this time centered around Talen Horton-Tucker. But apparently, no real traction has been made between the two parties.
“Obviously, the Kings are like, ‘No. We feel like there’s more lucrative deals out there,’ ” Haynes said on the “Posted Up with Chris Haynes” podcast. “The Kings are going to be active. They’ve got a whole bunch of people calling them.”
Sacramento certainly seems correct in its position that better deals for Hield are available. Through 2.5 seasons, Horton-Tucker has struggled to become an impact rotation player and the Kings already have three young guards as foundational players. Horton-Tucker, who is still only 21, doesn’t project to usurp De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton and more pressing needs exist on the wings and inside for Sacramento.
Hield has his faults, but he’s a marksman from deep who’s drilled over 40 percent of his career threes. Many teams with the right structure in place would benefit from his floor-spacing and off-ball movement. The Lakers are one of those teams, though their avenues to acquire him seem quite limited for now.
