Golden State Warriors’ Last Notable Signing Could Be The Most Valuable
In the aftermath of Klay Thompson’s departure from the organization at the beginning of the month, the Golden State Warriors should be praised for immediately turning into signing three quality rotation players on what look to be team-friendly terms.
The Warriors signed De’Anthony Melton to a one-year, $12.8 million contract before signing Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield in agreements that were eventually combined with Thompson’s relocation to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a six-team trade.
Buddy Hield was the final of the Golden State Warriors’ three big additions, and the 31-year-old sharpshooter may become the most crucial.
Anderson is a proven veteran who should prosper in the Golden State system, while Melton’s value is practically certain as long as the 26-year-old can overcome the back issues that restricted him to 38 games with the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
Hield, although being a veteran at this time, may be less of a certainty given the big questions surrounding his defense. As a result, he will play off the court at times, particularly in the playoffs, as he did last season, when he played just under 30 minutes in the first five games of the 76ers’ first-round series against the Knicks.
He may also prove to be the most valuable of the Warriors’ three new recruits. Thompson’s departure leaves a significant gap in three-point shooting on the roster, with Hield now the leading candidate to fill that vacancy.
Over the last five seasons, no one in the NBA has made more three-pointers than the Bahamian sniper, who has made precisely 40% of his efforts from beyond the arc. Aside from Thompson and Stephen Curry, no one on the Golden State roster made more than 1.4 three-pointers per game last season; Hield had averaged at least 3.2 three-pointers in each of the previous five seasons.
Hield may be more of a bench rotation player than a starter these days, but he can still have an impact, as proven by his 20 points on 6-of-9 three-point shooting in Game 6 versus the Knicks (Philadelphia’s final game of the season).
The former sixth-round selection will be vital, maybe more so than Melton or Anderson. Monte Poole of NBC Sports forecasts Hield will play between 22 and 28 minutes per game next season, while Melton will play 18-25 and Anderson 16-22.
It will fluctuate from game to game dependent on form and matchups, but that projection nevertheless emphasizes Hield’s potential worth to a club that desperately needs more outside shooting beyond Curry.
