Imagine a world where Buddy Hield actually were traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Dallas Mavericks.
A one-two punch of Hield and Luka Doncic would be entertaining on the basketball court.
“Absolutely,” ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins told me on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.
“Buddy is a dangerous combination with Luka. This is gonna be dangerous. A guy that WANTS to get players involved.”
Back in November, Landon Buford of Forbes reported that a league source close to Hield told him that Hield wants out of Sacramento. “He wants out of Sacramento,” the source told Buford.
“He would prefer to play in Dallas.”
That line of thinking aligns with a report from The Athletic’s Jason Jones back in October who shared that Hield’s issues stem from his relationship with head coach, Luke Walton.
Jones revealed that Hield place blame on Walton and didn’t even answer his calls.
Per Jones: “According to league sources, Hield has soured on Walton to the point he will not answer his coach’s phone calls. Messages to Hield’s agent, Brandon Rosenthal, and Walton were not returned.
Last season Hield averaged 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and three assists per game for a Sacramento Kings team that finished 31-41 last season which resulted in a 12th place finish. Last year’s NBA champion, Los Angeles Lakers finished in first place and the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Porland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs all had better records.
The 2020 NBA season begins on December 22 and Hield is currently still a member of the Kings.
The pairing of Doncic and Hield is fascinating to Kendrick Perkins because of the monster that Doncic has been on the court the last couple of seasons. Doncic, 21, is one of the most polished and well-rounded products in recent years. The NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year also fills up a stats sheet.
In his rookie campaign, Doncic posted a solid 21.2-points, 7.8-rebounds and 6.0 assists campaign for the Mavs.
Last season, the Slovenian point guard averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per contest. “It’s a reason why LeBron said on the Road Trippin Podcast that, ‘I wanted to make Luka the brand of my sneaker,’ the first name on my sneaker under the LeBron James brand…” ” Kendrick Perkins told me on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.
“Because he knows how special he is. He sees a lot of himself in Luka and just watching him and thinking of Buddy Hield, a guy that you better not leave open and now you possibly have to help? That’s going to leave wonders and Buddy Hield can get away from all that nonsense that’s going on in Sacramento and get to a real run organization by Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks.”
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Luka Doncic, Buddy Hield’s Mavs a Dangerous Combination: Kendrick Perkins