Sacramento Kings officially sign Buddy Hield to a long-term extension

The Sacramento Kings have reportedly agreed to an extension with star shooting guard Buddy Hield ahead of today’s deadline, per a report.

With opening night just a few days away, Sacramento Kings fans are growing more excited by the day to see their new-look team take the court on the road in Phoenix. And today’s recent news regarding Buddy Hield brings even more reason for excitement.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Kings have officially reached a deal with Hield to keep the star shooting guard in Sacramento for the next four years. The extension is worth $86 million with incentives that could reach up to $106.

The two sides have been discussing an extension for weeks now and Hield himself has made his opinion regarding the matter very apparent. Hield has been very outspoken about his desire for his extension making multiple public comments and gestures over the last few weeks.

The deadline for an extension was supposed to be today at 3 p.m. PT but it appears that the two sides got a deal done with a little time to spare.

The Kings’ initial offer was a four-year, $90 million contract which Hield reportedly turned down. And while the initial $86 million figure may seem low considering what was already offered, the incentive language is what really makes this deal interesting.

Wojnarowski has also reported that the incentives to climb to a $94 million figure are relatively easily attainable. One of those incentives that he listed involves Hield finishing top-10 in three-point shooting which shouldn’t be too difficult if he could repeat his performance from last season.

However, the climb up to $106 million is reportedly a bit more difficult, although specific incentives have not been specified just yet.

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This has to be considered a win for the Kings who have actually offered $4 million less in guaranteed money to their rising star shooting guard. And even if the $94 million threshold is reached, that’s still only $4 million more than what was initially offered.

Hield was originally set to be a restricted free agent this offseason in what is expected to be a very weak crop of free agents. If the 26-year-old put together another standout season as he did last year, it’s very likely that he would have been one of the top names on the market.

Some team would have likely thrown significantly more money at him — perhaps even a max contract. But the Kings don’t have to worry about that anymore.

They now have one of their core roster members locked up for the foreseeable future in a deal that clearly works for both parties involved. Hield is betting on his own abilities to perform and if he reaches his max incentives, then all power to him.

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If he’s playing like that, it’s unlikely that Sacramento would be too concerned with the money they’ve given him.

Moreover, this gives the Kings future flexibility to lock up players like De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley who are set to hit the open market in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Whether the team could re-sign Bogdan Bogdanovic now will be a different story.

But they have until June to figure that deal out. Hield’s extension was more essential and more punctual.

At the end of the day, this does seem to be a win-win deal. Hield is banking on his own abilities while the Kings have managed to keep their star in town for less than he would make on the open market.

This is a huge move for the Sacramento Kings and it gives fans one more reason to be excited ahead of Wednesday night’s opener.