Lakers, Pacers reengage talks on Buddy Hield trade that could include Russell Westbrook

Maybe the Lakers are going to go in a different direction.

While Los Angeles has been linked to Kyrie Irving since Brooklyn made its entire roster available almost a month ago, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports that talks have been "reengaged" between the Lakers and Pacers on a possible Buddy Hield trade.

"The latest intelligence I have is that things have not moved in terms of the Brooklyn front, there is no traction on a deal that would involve sending Russell Westbrook out and bringing Kyrie Irving in," said McMenamin. "One thing I have learned over the last day or two, tangentially, that there has been some talks reengaged between the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers.

"Now, that would center around a Buddy Hield deal, and it could be a deal that would include Russell Westbrook if you're talking about also having Myles Turner in that deal, or perhaps it could be a secondary move where you would be talking about a Talen Horton-Tucker type of package to try and get Buddy Hield.

"We could see whether that would affect Russell or not."

MORE: Why did Westbrook part ways with longtime agent?

Feeling some deja vu? You should.

On June 25, 2021, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the Lakers and Kings had discussed a deal centered around Hield. It got to a point where ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported four days later that an opt-in from Montrezl Harrell allowed the Lakers to "move towards completing a deal" to acquire Hield, but Los Angeles decided to trade for Westbrook instead.

You know how the rest played out.

Does Buddy Hield make sense for the Lakers?

The addition of Hield alone might not be enough to turn the Lakers into contenders again, but it's easy to imagine him thriving next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Why? He's one of the best 3-point shooters in the league.

Since being selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Hield has been good for 3.0 3-pointers per game while connecting on them at a 39.8 percent clip. The only players who have made more 3s than him over the last six seasons are Stephen Curry and James Harden.

James and Davis have always been at their best when they're surrounded with shooters. Hield checks that box.

For his career, Hield is averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on .430/.398/.865 shooting splits. He'll turn 30 years old on Dec. 17. 

Buddy Hield contract details

Hield has two more years remaining on his current contract. He's on the books for $21.2 million in 2022-23 and $19.3 million in 2023-24, setting him up to be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.