PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — To no surprise, the Eastern Conference-leading Sixers made a move prior to the trade deadline in hopes of increasing their chances of winning the franchise’s first championship since 1983.
They acquired 34-year-old veteran guard George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team trade that lost them some players — most notably 23-year-old developing center Tony Bradley, as well as four second-round draft picks.
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey described Hill as “a veteran two-way guard, can shoot at a very high level and defend at a very high level.”
This is the type of player the Sixers were hoping to add, and it wasn’t a shock to see them end up with George, one of the names reportedly drawing the Sixers' interest.
However, leading up to Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, a lot of the buzz locally and nationally surrounding the NBA was where Raptors star Kyle Lowry, a Villanova alum and North Philadelphia native, would land. Turns out Toronto decided to not trade Lowry, who’s on an expiring contract, after reported offers from teams like the Sixers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
Morey couldn’t specifically comment on the Sixers' reported pursuit of Lowry, but in response to a question about that topic, he spoke about the “optionality,” the Hill move presents.
To refresh your memory, “optionality” was a notable word from the Sam Hinkie-era.
“We took an option that we thought really upgraded our team this year on both ends and, at the same time, kept all our optionality alive in the future,” Morey said.
And that’s for a number of reasons. One — the Sixers didn’t mortgage their future by parting ways with several young, developing players and at least one first-round pick. Losing Bradley was unfortunate, because he’s played really well filling in for the injured Joel Embiid.
But to lose Bradley, seldom-used Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier, as well as four second-round picks, for Hill, who has another year left on his contract with only a small portion guaranteed, according to The Athletic’s Derek Bodner, is a solid deal.
Hill is recovering from thumb surgery and, as of Friday morning, it’s not clear when he’ll play his first game for the Sixers (Morey suggested the remainder of his absence won’t be long), but when he does return — the Sixers believe they’ve added a veteran presence to their roster who brings invaluable postseason experience — along with his two-way skills.
“He’s just such a solid veteran,” Head Coach Doc Rivers said. “One of those guys you just like on your team. Shoots the heck out of the ball. Defends well.”
Danny Green, who was not dealt at the deadline despite speculation he may be, played a little bit with Hill during his time in San Antonio.
“Hell of a player,” Green said. “Even better person. Can shoot the ball. Need another point guard, another guy that can run the team, play his role well and a selfless player. He’s gonna fit right in. I think he’s gonna do great for us and give us another veteran leadership type of guard and a floor spacer.”
Rivers suggested Hill will probably come off the bench, but couldn’t say for certain. Regardless, it’s clear Hill — when he’s cleared to play again — will get minutes. The thumb surgery has sidelined him for over two months, but Morey said Hill chose to do this to fix an issue that is believed won’t be a problem again after the procedure. Morey did not express a hint of doubt. He was optimistic.
As far as any further additions the Sixers could potentially make after the trade deadline, Morey didn’t rule out exploring the buyout market for more depth as the Sixers are 45 games into their 72-game regular season schedule.