SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Kings guard Buddy Hield and general manager Vlade Divac sat side-by-side, flashing those familiar smiles Tuesday, a day after agreeing to terms on a lucrative new deal that will keep Hield in Sacramento for years to come.
The Kings held a news conference at Golden 1 Center to announce Hield's contract extension following nearly two weeks of contentious negotiations. Hield went public with his frustration over contact talks in an interview with The Sacramento Bee on Oct. 10, but he was all smiles after accepting a deal that could pay him as much as $106 million over the next four years.
"I was just trying to plead my case with them, but that's done now," Hield said. "I'm here as a King now and I'm just trying to win games and take us to the playoffs. That's the focus now."
Divac called Hield a "piece of our core" and talked about building "something special in Sacramento."
"It's exciting for me to sit here with you guys and with Buddy," Divac said. "I'm so happy that we came to an agreement where both sides are happy and we're still going the way we planned."
Hield and the Kings struck a deal Monday just hours before the NBA deadline for rookie-scale contract extensions, avoiding what could have been a long and messy trudge to restricted free agency this summer. A league source told The Bee that Hield and the team agreed to a four-year, $86 million extension with up to $20 million more in individual and team incentives.
The deal includes almost $10 million in highly attainable incentives and $10 million in additional bonuses that will be more difficult to achieve. Hield's salary will decline by 8% each year, from $24.4 million in the first year to $18.6 million in the final year, a figure that accounts for just 13.5% of the projected salary cap.
The NBA's ongoing issues with China created uncertainty about next year's salary cap and complicated negotiations. A decline in basketball-related income due to revenue losses in China could cause a significant reduction in the 2020-21 salary cap, which would depress salaries in the coming years.
Hield wanted to cash in while his stock was high and the market was fair, but the Kings had to watch out for their own financial interests. Harrison Barnes signed a four-year, $85 million deal over the summer. Bogdan Bogdanovic could command more than $70 million as a restricted free agent this summer and the Kings are earmarking massive five-year max extensions for De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III over the next two years.
Hield came to the Kings in the 2017 trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017. He played a backup role in 2017-18 but enjoyed a breakout season as a starter in 2018-19, averaging career highs of 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Hield shot 42.7% from 3-point range and surpassed the likes of Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to become the first player in NBA history to make 600 3-pointers in his first three seasons.
Hield is a critical piece of a talented young core that helped the Kings win 39 games last season, their highest win total since they last reached the playoffs in 2006.
