Sacramento Kings: Hiatus raises questions regarding Buddy Hield’s future

Buddy Hield has shown signs of displeasure with the Sacramento Kings for parts of the season, and the league-wide hiatus could be significant regarding his future.

Ever since he got moved to the bench on January 24th, speculation has surrounded Buddy Hield‘s future with the Sacramento Kings, specifically if there will be one. Hield has hinted at some displeasure with the move but has not come right out and said it himself, yet.

A report from Shams Charina of The Athletic reported earlier this season stated the following.

"“If Hield remains displeased with his role, a source with knowledge of his thinking said he might request a trade. He believes he is a starter in the NBA, and there’s no guarantee he’ll get that job back, given how the team has played lately.”"

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These comments are troublesome because the more Hield came off the bench as opposed to a starter, the better Sacramento got. The Kings were 13-7 since the move and had elevated themselves back into the hunt for the final playoff spot after losing six straight games prior.

With the league currently halted due to COVID-19, canceling the remainder of the season remains a real possibility. If that is the case, where does that leave Hield and the Kings? Would he be open to returning next season if he still had a bench role?

Unfortunately, there may not be an answer anytime soon and the world has possibly unknowingly seen the last of Hield in a Sacramento Kings jersey.

With 18 games left to play before the suspension, there was a lot at stake regarding the 27-year-old’s future with the team, especially if they were able to make the postseason.

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This situation is an intriguing one because Bogdan Bogdanovic, who took over for Hield in the starting lineup, could be the deciding factor in all of this.

Bogdanovic will become a free agent when this season concludes, and if Sacramento chooses to re-sign him, that puts the team in the same predicament next season.

If Bogdanovic chooses to go elsewhere, Hield’s odds of staying put in Sacramento increase significantly. The Kings reportedly offered Bogdanovic a four-year, $51.4 million contract before this season, but he turned it down in search of something with more value.

The Kings already have a star shooting guard in Hield locked up on a four-year deal that could reach $106 million and tying up another on such a lucrative deal could become troublesome.

Having both Hield and Bogdanovic on the roster next season is not impossible but seems unlikely right now.

This past 20-game stretch has been rejuvenating for the Kings, but the final 18 could have provided a larger sample size of this lineup experiment.

Is Sacramento comfortable enough making a franchise-altering decision based off of this recent stretch? The team has a challenging question to answer, made significantly harder with the shutdown.

At this moment, the only thing to do is wait and see what happens with the entire situation. There is still a chance the league comes back and play resumes, meaning anything can happen.

Although the hiatus has changed the situation drastically, there is still hope things can work out for Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings.