The Kings and Buddy Hield are in the midst of contract negotiations, and with Monday's rookie-scale extension deadline looming, it seems the two sides aren't exactly seeing eye to eye.
After the Sacramento's 124-110 preseason win over Melbourne United on Wednesday, Hield spoke with reporters about the Kings' recent offer of a four-year, $90 million exentsion.
“I see it like an insult,” Hield said, via The Sacramento Bee. “I feel like I’m worth more than that. If you say I’m your guy and you want to build around me, I just need you to show it. Actions speak louder than words. If you’re just talking and not showing nothing, I’m not going to respect it. I love playing here. I want to be here. This is my home. I’m trying to buy a house here, but everything is on stall mode because I don’t know if they’ll really commit to me.”
Buddy Hield speaks openly about his ongoing contract negotiations with the Sacramento Kings pic.twitter.com/fBTyuw9qjZ
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Acoording to Yahoo! Sports, the 26-year-old is seeking a four-year deal worth $110 million. If the two sides can't come to an agreement by Monday's deadline, then Hield will become a restricted free agent this offseason.
“I don’t know if things are going to get done,” Hield said. “If it don’t get done, me and my team will look for something else — probably another home. Until then, we’ll see if they really want me here. That’s the goal, to be here.
"I love Sacramento, but if they don’t want me here, if they don’t feel like I’m part of the core … I want to be here. If they don’t want me here, find somewhere else to be.”
Hield arrived in Sacramento from New Orleans in February 2017 as part of the DeMarcus Cousins trade. The Oklahoma product has flourished with the Kings, shooting 42 percent from 3-point range and averaging 17.1 points per game over the last two seasons.
Kings coach Luke Walton was even asked about the stalled negotiations and said he understands where Hield is coming from.
“I know it’s real,” Walton said. "I’ve gone through it as a player and you overanalyze. I, as a player, overanalyzed things at times during free-agent years … as a player, there’s always family, there’s always something going on, a human element that is important and we are aware of as a group, and we support each other as a group.
"So teammates and coaches, we have each other’s back, and contracts are one of those things.”
As far as his relationship with the Kings, Hield says it hasn't been negatively impacted by the contract talks.
“I’m cool with everybody,” he said. “They’ve just got to make something happen before the deadline. I have people I need to take care of. If they don’t trust me or they don’t believe in me, then I might be able to move on and try another option.”