KINGS TEAM NEWS CENTER

It's no secret that Buddy wasn't happy about his demotion to the bench and his name was floating around the rumor mill as a result, but the move paid off on paper with the Kings picking up some serious steam before the season was suspended. In 20 games as a reserve, Hield accepted his role and thrived with averages of 19.4 points, 2.7 dimes and 4.4 triples. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported back in February that Hield "might request a trade" this summer if he remains unhappy with the Kings, but you'd think the two sides would try to patch things up after agreeing to a massive 4-year extension back in October.  If the Kings decide to keep Bogdan Bogdanovic in restricted free agency, that would likely make Hield more expendable.