NBA Draft: 5 destinations for Buddy Hield

Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts in the second half against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 28, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (right) catches a pass in front of Orlando Magic forward Evan Fournier during the fourth quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. The Magic won 104-89. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

3. New Orleans Pelicans

The Big Easy would be another good landing spot for Hield. It’s easy to see why he’d benefit from playing alongside Anthony Davis in the Pelicans starting line-up.

Drafting Hield would also allow New Orleans to let Eric Gordon walk in free agency. Gordon figures to be too expensive for the Pelicans’ tastes, especially given his injury history. He’s only a shell of the player he used to be, and Hield would provide the team a big lift.

The only real downside for Hield is that he isn’t good enough to turn the Pelicans into a good playoff team by himself. If Gordon and Ryan Anderson leave New Orleans via free agency, the team will be short on talent behind Davis. Hield would be a helpful addition, but the Pelicans would still need to add significant pieces to become a contender in the Western Conference.

It would be a good situation for Hield from an individual perspective. He could play in the back court with Jrue Holiday and would get plenty of shots with Davis commanding so much attention in the post. In this type of situation, Hield could make a run at Rookie of the Year honors.

You can bet Anthony Davis would like to see Buddy Hield join him as part of the Pelicans core.

Next: 2. Denver Nuggets

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