"Steph Curry / Hield the new splash brothers?" - NBA fans thrilled over Warriors acquiring Buddy Hield to fill in for Klay Thompson
The Golden State Warriors have made their first big move of free agency following the departure of Klay Thompson, acquiring veteran guard Buddy Hield from the Philadelphia 76ers. The two teams reached an agreement on Thursday to acquire Hield as part of a sign-and-trade deal that sends the sharpshooter to The Bay in exchange for a 2031 second-round pick.
As part of the trade, the Warriors are signing Hield to a four-year deal with $18 million guaranteed in the first two years, and a player option in the fourth. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Thursday, with Shams Charania then corroborating the report shortly after.
Hield and franchise cornerstone Steph Curry notably led the league in most three-pointers made over the past five seasons, making the pairing a natural fit. While the team lost Curry's longtime backcourt duo in Klay Thompson, the franchise may have found the future Hall of Famer's new splash brother.
Hield is a career 40% three-point shooter who averaged 2.6 3-pointers made per game last season. In addition, he's also shot 43.4% from the floor throughout his career and has shown that he can operate both on and off-ball.
Following news of the trade breaking, Golden State Warriors fans were quick to react.
"Curry / Hield the new splash brothers???" - one fan wrote
"So they got a better 3 pt shooter to replace Klay… Splash Brothers 2.0?" - another added
Others cracked jokes, dubbing the pair the splash buddies rather than the new splash brothers:
"The Splash Buddies" - One wrote
"Splash Buddies" - Another added
Other Warriors fans are still holding out hope that the team is also able to acquire Lauri Markkanen:
"What are we cooking just add Lauri and we good" - One wrote
"i thought it was the lauri announcement omg" - Another added
"BUDDY LOCKED LAURI NEXT LFGGGG" - One predicted
Looking at the latest rumors regarding the Golden State Warriors and Lauri Markkanen following Buddy Hield deal
While many fans were excited about the Golden State Warriors adding Buddy Hield to their roster, many are still holding out hope that the team can land Lauri Markkanen.
Of course, as reports have indicated, the Jazz are hesitant to part ways with Markkanen. From the sounds of things, while they are willing to hear offers on the forward, it will likely take a massive deal to convince them to trade The Finnisher.
According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the Warriors are aggressively pursuing Markkanen, with the hope being that his shooting can bolster their offense. On Wednesday, the longtime NBA insider reported:
"They are trying to do whatever they can to get into the fold, but it's going to be a costly price to get Lauri. The Utah Jazz, they don't necessarily want to trade Lauri, but they will for the right price tag."
Of course, Golden State isn't the only team pursuing Markkanen, however, from the sounds of things, the asking price Utah has placed on him has priced many teams out of the equation.
Golden State, however, still seems to believe that the two sides can reach an agreement despite Utah asking for a return similar to the one New York got for Mikal Bridges. While the Knicks were able to send out five first-round picks to the Nets for Bridges, the Warriors may not be willing to meet their demands.
With Steph Curry and Draymond Green now in the twilight years of their careers, Golden State will have to think long-term. Although Markkanen is still young, five first-round picks could prove costly several years down the road.