The Indiana Pacers have huge expectations this upcoming 2023-24 NBA season after they locked up their franchise cornerstone Tyrese Haliburton to a massive five-year deal this offseason. The Eastern Conference has become more top-heavy with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics emerging as the clear two best teams following their massive offseason moves. Yet, the rest of the field is more wide open. As such, the Pacers, though they are still very much a young and building program, believe they can make some noise in the East and potentially compete for a postseason berth.
Apart from securing Haliburton to a long-term deal, Indiana had a great offseason overall. They landed AAC Freshman of the Year Jarace Walker in the NBA Draft and acquired former lottery pick Obi Toppin from the New York Knicks. They also signed newly crowned NBA champ Bruce Brown to a massive two-year deal to steal him from the Denver Nuggets. While the Pacers' offseason has been top-notch, they failed to secure shooting guard Buddy Hield with a new deal. The sharpshooter reportedly did not feel wanted with the Pacers' contract offer and has already requested a trade out of Indiana.
Several teams have expressed interest in acquiring Hield. But the 30-year-old has been struggling from the field so far in preseason, which could be a concern for the Pacers heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
Pacers concern from 2023-24 NBA preseason: Buddy Hield is struggling
Projected to play a reserve role this upcoming season, Buddy Hield has come off the bench in all of Indiana's preseason games. In three games, Hield averaged just 7.0 points on a paltry 25.0 percent shooting from the field and 21.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Sure, it's just preseason and players typically play at a lesser speed and level at this time compared to the regular season. But the bad shooting could still be a concern, especially if it spills over to opening week.
Hield's struggles from the field, especially from beyond the arc, will not bode well for his trade value. Indiana certainly wants to get the best return for the former Oklahoma standout, who is one of the best shooters in the NBA.
This past season, Hield averaged 16.8 points while shooting 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. He finished second in total three-pointers made with 288 triples behind Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson. The 6-foot-4 guard is a career 40.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc, which is 14th among active NBA players.
Several teams have been linked to the three-point specialist. However, rival executives reportedly don't expect the Pacers to move Hield prior to opening night, but nearer the 2024 trade deadline instead.
The Bahamian spoke during the Pacers' media day and remained mum on contract extension talks. However, he did reiterate he loves being a Pacer and that he has a great relationship with everyone on the team, especially head coach Rick Carlisle.
Nonetheless, Hield seems to understand the business side of the NBA and at 30 years old, he may not match Indiana's timeline. Likewise, his contract demands probably don't align with the Pacers' plans, considering they just gave Tyrese Haliburton a massive maximum contract extension.
Hield will likely stay on the bench come opening night as the Pacers focus on the development of Bennedict Mathurin, who made the All-Rookie First Team last year.
The preseason shooting struggles may be concerning. But getting a more featured role as a ball-handler off the bench could actually increase Hield's overall value. Mostly known as a knockdown shooter, Hield is averaging 5.3 assists running the second unit in preseason.