Buddy Hield

On June 23, 2016, Hield was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.[22] On July 22, 2016, he signed with the Pelicans.[23] On December 15, 2016, he had his best outing as a Pelican with 21 points and five three-pointers in a 102–95 win over the Indiana Pacers.[24] On January 3, 2017, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December.[25]

On February 20, 2017, Hield was traded, along with Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and 2017 first-round and second-round draft picks, to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi.[26] He made his debut for the Kings three days later, scoring 16 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over the Denver Nuggets.[27] On March 24, he scored a career-high 22 points with eight rebounds and seven assists in a 114–100 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[28] He tied that mark on April 1, scoring 22 points on 4-of-6 from three-point range in a 123–117 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[29] Two days later, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March.[30] On April 11, he set a new career high with 30 points in a 129–104 win over the Phoenix Suns.[31] At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[32]

Hield began the 2017–18 season as a starter, before switching to a bench role and becoming the team's sixth man after seven games.[33] On November 25, 2017, Hield scored a season-high 27 points off the bench with a career-high seven 3-pointers in a 97–95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[34] Hield shot 43.1 percent from 3-point range in 2017–18, which placed him ninth in the NBA among qualified players.[35]

On November 24, 2018, Hield had 28 points on 12-for-21 shooting and seven rebounds in a 117–116 loss to the Warriors.[36] On December 17, in a 132–105 loss to the Timberwolves, Hield scored 21 points in the first half before not playing in the second half—Kings coach Dave Joerger did not play any of his starters after halftime.[37] Two days later, he had a career-best 37 points in a 132–113 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[38] In December, he had a seven-game streak with 20 points or more.[39] On January 5, he scored 32 points and had a career-high eight 3-pointers in a 127–123 loss to the Warriors.[40] On January 19, he made an off-balance, fadeaway 3-pointer just before time expired and scored 35 points in a 103–101 win over the Detroit Pistons.[41] On February 2, he scored 34 points and made seven 3-pointers in a 115–108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, thus reaching 180 3-pointers for the season, surpassing his 176 he had for the season in 2017–18.[42] On February 23, he scored 34 points in a 119–116 win over the Thunder.[43] On March 14, he scored 34 points in a 126–120 loss to the Boston Celtics.[44] On March 23, he had 25 points and set the franchise season record for 3-pointers in a 112–103 win over the Suns. He made 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, giving him 245 3-pointers for the season, surpassing the mark of 240 set by Peja Stojaković in 2003–04.[45] In April, he broke Damian Lillard's NBA record (599) for most 3-pointers made in a player's first three seasons.[46][47]

On October 21, 2019, Hield signed an extension of his rookie contract for a total of 4 years and $86 million, up to $106 million including performance incentives. [48] On December 26, Hield accused coaches and teammates of having "trust issues" after he was benched late in regulation of a game that the Kings eventually lost in double overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He apologized to the entire team the next day for his remarks. [49] Hield eventually lost his starting job to Bogdan Bogdanovic, but the switch produced a quick boost in his production and efficiency; in only his second game off the bench, on January 27, 2020 and again against the Timberwolves, Hield scored a career high 42 points to lead the Kings to a furious comeback victory in overtime, after they trailed by 17 points with three minutes left in regulation. Afterwards, Hield dedicated the game to his idol Kobe Bryant, who had passed in a helicopter accident the day prior. [50] On February 15, 2020, Hield won the Three-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, topping Devin Booker 27-26 in the final round by sinking his final shot.[51]

On December 23, 2020, Hield put up 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists, alongside a game-winning, buzzer-beating tip-in, in a 124–122 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets.[52]