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When you have something special brewing, you should do everything in your power to preserve it.
That's why the Sacramento Kings should absolutely try and sign Buddy Hield to a contract extension before the deadline on Oct. 21.
The Kings have been working on a new deal for Hield, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
But why even let Hield get to that point?
This kid has already proven to be a terrific scorer in this league. He is coming off of a season in which he played all 82 games (a very important factor) and averaged 20.7 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists over 31.9 minutes per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 42.7 percent from three-point range and 88.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Also, while he is not a great defender by any means, he is also not terrible on that end of the floor, and he is good enough offensively where it makes up for his lack of overall talent on the defensive end.
Buddy Hield has been a great shooter ever since he entered the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans back in 2016 (he was traded to the Kings in the DeMarcus Cousins deal later that season), as he has shot 41.9 percent from three-point range thus far in his three-year career.
It would be nice if he could get to the free-throw line more, as he is averaging just 1.4 free-throw attempts per game (he averaged 2.4 this past season), but he is so valuable for his shooting ability alone that it mitigates his lack of a penchant for drawing fouls.
On top of all of that, the 26-year-old is part of a very young and talented core that could very well end up ruling the Western Conference in a couple of years.
Along with De'Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Harry Giles, Hield helps comprise one of the most impressive stables of young talent in the NBA, and the Kings already appear to be on their way.
Sacramento won 39 games and contended for a playoff spot for much of the 2018-19 season, and while the Western Conference has gotten stronger, the Kings seem on track to make a serious push for the eighth seed this year.
Vlade Divac and Co. would be remiss to let this fall apart. This is a team with loads of potential, and it may be only a matter of time before Sacramento becomes a genuinely feared ballclub in the West.
Guys who can shoot like Hield don't come around too often. Not only that, but Hield is a terrific guy, which is something that should not go unnoticed in contract negotiations.
So, he is an outstanding shooter, he is durable (he has only missed two games in three years), he's a great kid and he is a significant part of a young nucleus that could do big things in a couple of years.
Yeah. I think Buddy Hield is worthy of a contract extension.
Don't even let him get to free agency, Vlade. Lock this dude up. Now.
