Kings Owner Reportedly Thinks Buddy Hield Has 'Steph Curry Potential'

Why did the Sacramento Kings trade DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans for so little?

It’s a question Kings fans undoubtedly are asking in the aftermath of Sacramento trading the All-Star center to New Orleans for a package of Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and first- and second-round draft picks in 2017. And the answer perhaps lies in how the organization views Hield, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

A league source familiar with the Kings’ thinking told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that team owner Vivek Ranadive believes Hield has “Steph Curry potential.” That assessment reportedly was a key driver in Sacramento’s decision to send Cousins to New Orleans.

Source familiar w/ Kings’ thinking: "Vivek thinks Buddy [Hield] has Steph Curry potential.” Am told that fixation was a key driver in deal.

— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) February 20, 2017

Talk about building hype.

Hield, a standout at the University of Oklahoma before becoming an NBA lottery pick, has progressed nicely since enduring some struggles to open his rookie season. He enters the second half averaging 8.6 points in 20.4 minutes per game over 57 contests.

But suggesting he could evolve into Stephen Curry, a two-time MVP, is a bit aggressive, even if it took a few years for Curry — another player who entered the NBA with a reputation as a knock-down shooter — to evolve into the superstar he is today.