Buddy Hield proved one of the surprise elements of the Golden State Warriors’ playoff campaign, making nine starts and averaging over 27 minutes despite inconsistent form during the regular season.

The veteran sharpshooter was the hero of Golden State’s Game 7 first-round series victory over the Houston Rockets with 33 points on 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, but reports surrounding the franchise’s likely free agency acquisitions suggests they don’t necessarily want the same reliance on Hield again.

The Warriors are looking at multiple shooting guards in free agency

Golden State are widely expected to reunite with former guard De’Anthony Melton in free agency, with a healthy version of the 27-year-old likely to be ahead of Hield in the rotation as a potential starter next to Stephen Curry in the back court.

Along with Melton, the Warriors also have mutual interest with veteran sharpshooter Seth Curry after drilling a career-high 45.6% from 3-point range with the Charlotte Hornets last season. While the 34-year-old may not be a guaranteed part of Steve Kerr’s rotation entering next season, at the very least he could be an alternative option who could battle with Hield for minutes.

Acquiring both Melton and Curry could even make Hield expendable as he enters the second year of his contract making $9.2 million. Even if that’s not the case, adding both doesn’t say a whole lot about the faith the Warriors have in playing Hield for at least 20 minutes per game again.

There was constant discussion surrounding Hield’s role with Golden State after his electric start to the season, having cooled off in shooting less than 40% from the floor and 35% from 3-point range from December onwards.

Kerr’s continued trust in Hield was perplexing to many fans, and in fairness he was a constant as the only Warrior to appear in all 82 regular season games. The decision to hold faith was rewarded in the playoffs as Hield shot 42.9% from 3-point range, leading the team to victory in Game 7 against the Rockets and two days later in Game 1 of the second-round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, the 32-year-old’s hot-and-cold nature during the regular season might be a greater indication of his production, with Melton’s two-way impact and Brandin Podziemski’s versatile skillset likely to make them more consistent options.

Hield’s shooting is still going to prove very important at different points during the season, but his role may be more in line with a 15-minute per game situation than the prominent feature we saw in the playoffs.