Hawks reportedly send Buddy Hield to Hornets in deal for Dorian Finney-Smith. Image via: NBA
Buddy Hield is on the move again, and this time the sharpshooting guard is landing in Charlotte. The Atlanta Hawks agreed to send Hield to the Hornets on Tuesday, along with young guard Ryan Nembhard, in exchange for veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
What each player brings to the deal
The move created a $4.5 million trade exception for the Hornets and a $2.1 million exception for the Hawks, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Hield averaged 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds across 51 combined games with the Warriors and Hawks last season, shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three. His accuracy actually improved after landing in Atlanta, where he hit 41.2 percent of his triples over seven games. He carries a $9.7 million cap number for 2026-27, with a $10.1 million player option the year after.
Marc Stein confirmed the same structure shortly after.
“Buddy Hield and Ryan Nembhard to Charlotte, Dorian Finney-Smith to Atlanta,” Fischer wrote, citing sources close to the negotiations. Atlanta also sent cash to Charlotte as part of the swap. It’s the sixth time Hield has changed teams since entering the league, a run that includes stints in Indiana, Sacramento, Philadelphia and a sign-and-trade detour to Golden State before Atlanta picked him up in February. For Atlanta, flipping a player who’d fallen out of the rotation for a forward capable of real minutes, if healthy, reads as a clean win. Hield hadn’t cracked coach Quin Snyder’s plans since Kristaps Porzingis arrived in February, so recovering any value counts as a good outcome.
NBA insider Jake Fischer first flagged talks between the two sides on Sunday, and by Tuesday the framework had firmed up.