A Royal Pain
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Sacramento Kings: 3 Players Facing The Most Pressure This Season

By Rafe Wong

SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 1: Harry Giles III #20, Harrison Barnes #40, De'Aaron Fox #5, Buddy Hield #24, Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings attend the game against the Golden State Warriors on July 1, 2019 at the Golden 1 Center, in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 1: Harry Giles III #20, Harrison Barnes #40, De'Aaron Fox #5, Buddy Hield #24, Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings attend the game against the Golden State Warriors on July 1, 2019 at the Golden 1 Center, in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARCH 28: Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings looks on during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on March 28, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARCH 28: Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings looks on during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on March 28, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images) /

Player #2: Buddy Hield

Since being traded in 2017, Buddy Hield has been a delight for the Sacramento Kings. In his rookie season, Buddy’s perimeter shooting gave Kings fans hope that he can finally become the long-term shooting guard that the team was in search for.

Fast forward two years later and Buddy has taken his scoring to another level. He was the team’s leading scorer last season and asserted himself as one of the best spot-up shooters in the league today.

Every year, Buddy has been able to improve his game and extend his role on the team, so he is expected to become a big part of the Kings’ plans. But even though the Kings and Buddy seem pretty happy with the current situation, an important decision is ahead of them.

The Kings right now are in good shape financially, but there will be a time where they need to start paying their young talent to lucrative deals. Right now, it seems like De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III are due to make max deals once their rookie deals expire, but does Buddy deserve the same?

Especially since Hield’s contract ends sooner, the Kings will have to address his situation earlier than the rest of their youth. If Buddy comes out this season taking another leap of improvement, he could force Vlade to offer him a contract at least close to the max or even extend him during the middle of the season.

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