Pelicans: Pros and cons of a sign-and-trade of Josh Hart for Buddy Hield

Pelicans: Buddy Hield costs a lot more than Josh Hart

Con: So we’ve established that Buddy Hield is the superior offensive player (by far) and that the loss of Hart’s defense probably wouldn’t hurt that much.

The only real con I see to acquiring Buddy Hield is his contract.

Hield is owed $22.4 million next season, $20.5 the season after that and $18.5 in the 2023-24 season.

This is a hefty price to pay for a guy who is mostly a 3-point specialist, but given what some of these guys are getting in free agency, it’s not crazy.

The price actually goes down each year, which is good, and let’s face it, $20 million is pretty much minimum wage for an NBA player who can shoot these days.

The Pels have a huge trade exception that would absorb most of Heild’s deal, so this season it wouldn’t look too bad, but it could become problematic when they are trying to re-sign Zion Williamson to what will likely be a astronomical rookie extension next offseason.

I think it’s worth a shot, as Hield would give the Pelicans a very deep team with a lot of lineup options that would always allow for Zion Williamson to be surrounded by shooters.

If David Griffin can work this deal, he should get on the phone and get it done.