Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield is receiving trade interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Matt Moore of Action Network. Hield split the 2021-22 season with the Pacers and the Sacramento Kings. Over 26 games with the Pacers, he averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 44.7% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. He has two years remaining on his contract and is set to make about $20 million in 2022-23. If the Lakers wind up trading for him, it would likely mean that the team would let fellow three-point specialist Malik Monk walk in free agency.

Indiana Pacers shooting guard Buddy Hield had one of his best games of the year in Wednesday's loss to his former team, the Sacramento Kings. He led the team in scoring with 25 points as he shot 10-for-18 from the field, including 5-for-8 from three-point range. He also filled the stat sheet with seven assists, three rebounds, four steals and one block. The 29-year-old has seen his production increase across the board since he was traded to Indiana. Over 17 games in a Pacers jersey, he's averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 44.4% from the field.

Sacramento Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield enjoyed a good bench outing against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, contributing with 21 points in 25 minutes. He went 7-for-14 from the field and 3-for-7 from downtown with a 4-for-4 effort at the charity stripe, capping things off with a pair of rebounds, one block and one turnover. Hield had managed only two points in the previous game against Memphis. He regained his scoring touch here, but the next two games against Dallas don't look very promising for Hield. The Mavericks are allowing the fifth-fewest bench points in the league this season.

Sacramento Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield had a 7-for-9 night from downtown against the Spurs on Sunday and finished a 121-114 win with a season-high 29 points. He shot 10-for-18 overall from the field, adding three rebounds, four assists and one steal to his tally with one turnover in 40 minutes. The 29-year-old sniper has now shot 15-for-22 from deep in the last three games. He'll aim to outgun Stephen Curry on Monday in a meeting with the Warriors before heading out against the Clippers. These two teams have done a very good job defending the three-point line this season, so Hield faces a tough stretch of games.

Sacramento Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield led the team in scoring on Sunday against Memphis, but he only needed to collect 14 points to do it, with the team hitting a horrible 34 percent from the field in a 128-101 loss. Sacramento finished with 21.4 percent shooting from downtown and Hield contributed to it with a 1-for-9 effort. He was 5-for-17 overall from the field with six rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes off the bench. This matchup ended Hield's three-game run of 20-plus points. He's been in fine form lately but now heads into a very tough set of games. Sacramento hosts the Lakers on Tuesday and then faces back-to-back outings against the Clippers.

Sacramento Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield led the team with 22 points in Monday's 129-107 win over Detroit, going a hot 6-for-10 from downtown and 8-for-14 overall from the field. His work also included two rebounds, two assists and one steal with two turnovers in 24 minutes off the bench. Hield has started only two games this season and only a brave man can trust him, but the 28-year-old is capable of racking up points in a hurry if he finds his range from deep, and that's exactly what happened Monday night. Sacramento's next matchup is against a Minnesota team that's giving up the fifth-fewest bench points per game this season, so Hield isn't very well placed to replicate his Monday's performance on Wednesday, and the rest of the week doesn't look too promising either, as the Kings are set to host the Raptors and the Jazz, who have both done a good job limiting bench scoring.

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield delivered one of his best efforts of the season in Friday's 140-110 win over the Hornets. Hield dropped 26 points with a season-high eight three-pointers while chipping in four assists and three rebounds. The streaky shooter has had some up-and-down performances this year- but his upside has been through the roof, considering he has three games this year with 24-plus points and at least six threes made. Hield has a great chance of staying red-hot on Sunday against the Pacers, who have allowed 3.9 three-pointers per game to opposing shooting guards.

Sacramento Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield carried the team's offense in their victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. He shot 8-for-17 from the field, including 7-for-11 from three-point range, on the way to a team-high 26 points. He also filled out the stat sheet with five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and one assist. Hield has been letting it fly from downtown through the early-going of the season. He's attempted 43 three-pointers through four games and he's been hitting them at an impressive 44.2% clip. His next game will be on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

If the first two games of the season are any indication, Sacramento Kings shooting guard/small forward Buddy Hield is certainly embracing his role as the team's No. 1 offensive option off the bench. Hield launched 15 threes during Friday's loss to the Jazz en route to scoring 24 points, as he knocked down six of those attempts from deep. While Hield did not attempt a free throw despite taking 21 shots, he helped his scoring effort by snatching seven rebounds. The Kings will again have a crowded wing this season, but Hield appears to still be the cream of the crop, irrespective of whether or not he's among the starting five.

2021 — Stephen Curry, Golden State 2020 — Buddy Hield, Sacramento 2019 — Joe Harris, Brooklyn 2018 — Devin Booker, Phoenix 2017 — Eric Gordon, Houston 2016 — Klay Thompson, Golden State 2015 — Stephen Curry, Golden State 2014 — Marco Belinelli, San Antonio 2013 — Kyrie Irving, Cleveland 2012 — Kevin Love, Minnesota 2011 — James Jones, Miami 2010 — Paul Pierce, Boston 2009 — Daequan Cook, Miami 2008 — Jason Kapono, Toronto 2007 — Jason Kapono, Miami 2006 — Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 2005 — Quentin Richardson, Phoenix 2004 — Voshon Lenard, Denver 2003 — Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2002 — Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento 2001 — Ray Allen, Milwaukee 2000 — Jeff Hornacek, Utah 1999 — No contest 1998 — Jeff Hornacek, Utah 1997 — Steve Kerr, Chicago 1996 — Tim Legler, Washington 1995 — Glen Rice, Miami 1994 — Mark Price, Cleveland 1993 — Mark Price, Cleveland 1992 — Craig Hodges, Chicago 1991 — Craig Hodges, Chicago 1990 — Craig Hodges, Chicago 1989 — Dale Ellis, Seattle 1988 — Larry Bird, Boston 1987 — Larry Bird, Boston 1986 — Larry Bird, Boston

Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Phoenix’s Devin Booker have been 3-point champions at All-Star weekend before, and they’ll try to win that trophy again Sunday. The NBA revealed the 15 players Tuesday who will be taking part in the other on-court events besides the All-Star Game in Atlanta, with the overwhelming majority of them pulling double-duty between those competitions and the game itself. Curry, Booker, the Boston duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Chicago’s Zach LaVine and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell — all of them All-Stars — will be the six competitors in the 3-point contest. All-Stars Luka Doncic of Dallas, Domantas Sabonis of Indiana, Julius Randle of New York, Nikola Vucevic of Orlando and Chris Paul of Phoenix will be five of the six entrants in the skills competition. They’ll be joined by Portland’s Robert Covington, the only current NBA player who is a graduate of a historically Black college and university. Covington went to Tennessee State. HBCUs will be a major part of... [More]

New Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair said he is looking forward to working with coach Luke Walton to revive a franchise that has the longest current playoff drought in the NBA. McNair was hired last week after a long tenure as an executive in Houston to replace Vlade Divac. He backed Walton publicly during his introductory news conference Wednesday. “I’ve got to know him the last few days, we’ve had some good conversations,” McNair said. “I’ve heard great things. So far I think we’ve had a great rapport. Luke’s going to be our coach next year. I’m really excited to work with him. I think we’re aligned with our vision and we’re gonna start implementing it.” Walton is the team’s 10th coach since the Kings last made the playoffs in Rick Adelman’s final season in 2005-06. Sacramento went 31-41 in Walton's first season at the helm. McNair and Walton will work together to end the 14-year playoff drought that is one year off the longest one in NBA history. “I understand the frustrations... [More]

All the momentum the Sacramento Kings had when the NBA season shut down in March disappeared when they arrived in the bubble.The disappointing performance in Florida has left the Kings on the outside of the playoffs for the 14th straight season. That's the longest active drought in the NBA and led to change in the front office with Vlade Divac stepping down as general manager.“I feel like you’re always trying to play your best basketball late into March and April and I thought we were on our way to doing that,” first-year coach Luke Walton said. “So that part of it, I thought it was a success. We hit a bunch of lows this year too. Some came from injuries, some came from the way we were playing and that, we don’t want to see.”Those lows were evident in the bubble when the Kings lost five of their first six games to get eliminated from postseason contention. The team was hampered by Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, Jabari Parker and Alex Len all positive for COVID-19 and missing practice time... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Luke Walton was trying to find the right words to motivate his players to finish the season strong.The Sacramento Kings had been eliminated from playoff contention, which was nothing new for the team with the NBA’s longest streak of missing the postseason.Yet, even players who’d spent their whole careers with the organization had never heard the type of speech their coach made this week. This wasn’t the normal talk of playing for pride, of trying to make an impression for next season. “He said something like, ‘We don’t know when the basketball is going to come back after this time,’” guard Bogdan Bogdanovic said. The 22 teams who qualified for the NBA’s restart will be down to 16 by the end of the weekend, when the playoff bracket is set. The other six clubs exit World Disney World the same way as tourists who normally pack the place.Their fun is over. Now it’s back to the real world, and the real world in 2020 is an unsettling place. “The unknown, none of... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has the coronavirus, making the announcement Tuesday and saying he has hopes to join his team for the league’s restart later this summer.Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings’ games this season. To extend that streak, he’ll need to be cleared and arrive at Walt Disney World before Sacramento’s season resumes with the first of its eight seeding games on July 31 against San Antonio.“Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for Covid-19,” Barnes wrote on social media. “I’ve been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I’m quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so! Stay safe out there.”Barnes is averaging 14.7 points this season for the Kings.The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Ratings for the NBA All-Star Game were up 8% over last year, with an average of 7.3 million viewers watching Sunday night’s broadcast on TNT.About 8 million viewers were tuned in for the end of the game, where LeBron James’ team defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team 157-155 in the first target-score format in All-Star history. The fourth quarter was untimed and was broadcast commercial-free.TNT’s pregame coverage, which included tributes to Kobe Bryant, averaged 6.3 million viewers. That figure represented a 19% increase over viewership for the same show last year.For the weekend — including Friday's Rising Stars game and Saturday's showing of the Skills Competition won by Miami's Bam Adebayo, the 3-point contest won by Sacramento's Buddy Hield and the dunk contest won by Miami's Derrick Jones Jr. — Turner Sports said ratings were up 15% from last year.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):9:45 p.m.Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. celebrated his 23rd birthday by winning the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, edging Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a memorable showdown that required two tiebreaker jams.Jones and Gordon each got a perfect 50 on both of their dunks in the final. Then they got two more perfect scores on their first jam in the dunk-off.Jones then took off from just inside the foul line and threw down a windmill jam with his left hand, drawing a 48 from the panel of five judges.After a short discussion with Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, Gordon brought out 7-foot-5 Boston Celtics rookie Tacko Fall and positioned him near the basket. He then took the ball from Fall's hands on his way to a thunderous dunk.The United Center gasped as the courtside NBA stars celebrated. But Gordon was awarded a 47, giving the victory to Jones.Gordon also lost a memorable dunk contest to Zach LaVine... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):8:44 p.m.Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield made a late surge to win the NBA 3-Point Contest.Hield nailed a two-point money ball from the corner to finish with 27 points, edging Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker by one in the final round.Hield is one of the few bright spots for struggling Sacramento, averaging 20.4 points while shooting about 39 percent from 3-point range.Washington's Davis Bertans opened the second and final round with a 22, before Booker eliminated him.Defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago's Zach LaVine were eliminated after they failed to crack the top three in the first round.Five racks with five balls each were set up around the perimeter — two in the corner, two on the wings and one up top. Four of those racks had four balls worth one point each plus a multi-colored two-point ball. The other had nothing but moneyballs.There were also two green balls worth... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on Saturday night at NBA All-Star weekend. (all times local):8:44 p.m.Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield made a late surge to win the NBA 3-Point Contest.Hield nailed a two-point money ball from the corner to finish with 27 points, edging Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker by one in the final round.Hield is one of the few bright spots for struggling Sacramento, averaging 20.4 points while shooting about 39 percent from 3-point range.Washington's Davis Bertans opened the second and final round with a 22, before Booker eliminated him.Defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago's Zach LaVine were eliminated after they failed to crack the top three in the first round.Five racks with five balls each were set up around the perimeter — two in the corner, two on the wings and one up top. Four of those racks had four balls worth one point each plus a multi-colored two-point ball. The other had nothing but moneyballs.There were also two green balls worth... [More]

The NBA is changing the format to this season’s 3-point contest at All-Star Saturday Night in Chicago by adding a pair of deep shots that will be worth three points apiece.That change means each round will now be a total of 27 shots instead of 25, and competitors will now get 70 seconds to finish their shots instead of the customary 60. Competitors were told of the changes in the past few days, and the NBA announced the change Tuesday night.The two additional shots will come from six feet beyond the 3-point line, between the racks located on the wings and the one at the top of the key. Those shots — only one from each spot called the MTN DEW Zone — will be taken with a special green ball.All-Star Saturday is Feb. 15, one night before the All-Star Game.The list of competitors for the 3-point contest this season includes Portland’s Damian Lillard, Sacramento’s Buddy Hield, Washington’s Davis Bertans, Charlotte’s Devonte’ Graham, Miami’s Duncan Robinson, Atlanta’s Trae Young, Chicago’s Zach... [More]