Rob Pelinka & Lakers Turned Down Major Offer to Sign Ex-Warriors Sharpshooter

Buddy Hield has been a Lakers trade rumor for the better part of a decade. Back in 2021, talks between Los Angeles and Sacramento got far enough that Hield himself later admitted it "felt close," before the Lakers dealt for Russell Westbrook instead. Years later, with Hield in Indiana, the Lakers again explored pairing him with Myles Turner in a package built around Westbrook's contract, only to walk away when the Pacers wanted two first-round picks instead of one.

The pattern has repeated itself once more, and once more the Lakers passed. According to ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel, Los Angeles had a real opportunity to land Hield this offseason as he bounced from the Atlanta Hawks to the Charlotte Hornets and finally to the Chicago Bulls.

"A possible consolidation trade is something the Lakers have looked at quite a bit this offseason, both reaching out to teams and having teams reach out to them about the possibility of a deal ... One player that stood out in multiple deals due to the trades he was involved in was sharpshooter Buddy Hield," Siegel wrote.

"Sources say the Lakers could've made a "2-for-1 move" to trade for Hield, but the organization ultimately elected against doing so." he added.

The Lakers had the pieces to make it happen. Siegel reported that L.A. could have executed a "2-for-1 move" to acquire the sharpshooter, sending out two contracts in exchange for one.

Rob Pelinka's front office chose not to pull the trigger. While the exact reasoning wasn't detailed, the likely reason was draft capital.

A move for Hield would probably have required Los Angeles to attach a second-round pick, something the front office has historically been reluctant to give up even for proven shooting.

The decision looks more consequential given where the Lakers' roster currently sits. Los Angeles has 16 players on guaranteed contracts for only 15 standard spots, meaning that a trade or release is coming before opening night regardless of what happens with outside targets.

Dalton Knecht has emerged as the most likely cut. The Lakers reportedly tried including him in trade talks for Hield earlier in the summer - talks that ultimately went nowhere.

That is part of why passing on Hield feels strange. A 2-for-1 trade would have solved two problems at once: clearing a surplus contract and adding one of the league's most reliable three-point shooters to a team built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Instead, Siegel pointed to Bulls big man Jalen Smith as a name the Lakers might pursue next. A stretch center who could address frontcourt depth in a way that Hield wouldn't have.

For now, the LA Lakers are left to explain a roster imbalance they could have avoided and a shooter they've chased, in one form or another, since 2018. Hield landed in Chicago instead, the latest team to get the player the Lakers kept circling but never signed.