The Kings and shooting guard Buddy Hield reportedly aren't seeing eye-to-eye right now.
Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported Wednesday that Hield and the Kings are $20 million apart in talks of a contract extension. According to Haynes, the Kings have made a substantial four-year, $90 million contract extension offer to Hield. But Sacramento's sharpshooter reportedly is looking for something closer to a four-year, $110 million extension from the team.
The reported divide between the two sides is large, although not insurmountable. If the figures are correct, Sacramento basically is offering $5 million per year less than what Hield is asking for. There might be room for some common ground in between these two figures.
The two sides have until Oct. 21 to come to an agreement on an extension. If they don't, Hield will enter next summer as a restricted free agent, if the team extends a $6.5 million qualifying offer.
Once the qualifying offer is extended, the Kings would have the right to match any offer for the 26-year-old guard.
In his third NBA season, Hield led the Kings in scoring at 20.7 points per game. He also established a new NBA record for most 3-pointers through three seasons, hitting a team-record 278 triples last season to push his career total to 602.
Hield is the first of four members of the team's young core to come up for extension over the next 24 months. Bogdan Bogdanovic is eligible for a four-year, $51.7 million extension, but he has until June 30 to either accept the deal or head into the summer as a restricted free agent.
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De'Aaron Fox also becomes eligible for an extension next summer, and the Kings face the same fate with Marvin Bagley in the summer of 2021.
Fox was clear last week that he would love to see the Kings keep Hield and the rest of the team's young players together. Hield also has made it known he would like to stay in Sacramento.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac and his staff have done a quality job of keeping salary cap flexibility over the last few seasons with an eye on this moment. The only contract they have that is guaranteed beyond 2021 is forward Harrison Barnes, who the team inked to a new four-year, $85 million declining value deal in July.
Hield and the Kings have five days to work something out. If not, they have to table the discussion until after the season.
