At deadline, Morey adds veteran depth with Hill
As the NBA trade deadline hit at 3 p.m. Thursday, Daryl Morey was comfortable in taking the first-dono-harm approach to roster building.
So it was, with recent encouragement from Doc Rivers, that the Sixers’ basketball operations president chose not to remake his roster but simply boost its depth.
With a chance to acquire Kyle Lowry for a reported heavy price in young talent, Morey instead chose to supplement the Sixers with veteran, two-way guard George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Hill, 34, will provide stability to an otherwise young second unit as a steady point guard with an outstanding outside shot and the length to be an effective defender. Acquiring him cost the Sixers only backup center Tony Bradley, littleused wing Terrance Ferguson, deep center sub Vincent Poirier, three second-round draft choices and the rights to Turkish pro Emir Preldzic.
More significantly, it did not cost either of the franchise’s last two top draft choices, Matisse Thybulle or Tyrese Maxey.
“Doc said it best,” Morey said. “He said he loves this team. I love this team. I love how we’re playing.”
The Sixers were 31-13 at the
deadline and facing a game late Thursday night against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Hill, recovering from thumb surgery, was not available and likely is at least a week away from NBA activity. But he has played 799 career regular-season games and 127 more in the playoffs. Unlike Lowry, a premier point guard of his generation, Hill can help the Sixers without making them dramatically different.
“Oh, man, he’s just such a solid veteran,” Rivers said. “He’s one of those guys you like on your team. He shoots the heck out of the ball. Defends well. A good veteran. We are really a young team. So adding a veteran like him will be great for us.”
In the three-way deal, the Sixers acquired Hill from the Thunder and Ignas Brazdeikis from the Knicks. The Thunder will acquire 2025 and 2026 second-round draft choices from the Sixers and Austin
Rivers from New York. Rivers is the son of Doc Rivers.
The Knicks will wind up with Bradley, Poirier, Ferguson, a 2021 Sixers second-round pick, the rights to Preldzic and a protected 2024 second-round pick.
A 13-year veteran, Hill has missed the last 30 games following thumb surgery, but the Sixers are confident he will be available soon and fully functional for the postseason. Hill was averaging 11.8 points, shooting .508 from the field and .386 from the arc.
Brazdeikis, a small forward, averaged 20.8 points in the G-League this season and played 13 games with the Knicks.
“To get the shooting and the defense we did with George, I see him as an acquisition that we did with Danny Green,” Morey said. “He can hit a shot at a high level. And when Joel Embiid is double-teamed or when Ben Simmons passes it out, the ball will be shot at a very high percentage.”
• • •
Since Embiid has been known to miss the occasional work assignment due to injury, a stash of backup centers has become a Sixers necessity.
In no small part due to the guidance of Dwight Howard, 6-10 Tony Bradley had begun to stir in that role.
“I was very sad to hear about
him leaving our team,” Howard said. “As a teammate, he was great. He lived close to Orlando, so we had a connection of him watching me play as he was growing up.”
Bradley was averaging just 14.4 minutes and 5.5 points, but was effective enough to be used as a starter in the absence of Embiid, allowing Howard to continue to boost the second unit.
He had started the last six games, and seven of the last eight, and shot 8-for-8 for 18 points in a 108-98 triumph Tuesday at Golden State.
“I’ve seen the progress he has had as a player,” Howard said. “I remember coming in and talking to him, saying, ‘Tony, anytime you want to play in this league, you have to be the Energizer Bunny.’ I would call him a battery pack. And I’ve seen from the beginning of the season until now, his energy level and his effort has changed, and he has played out of his mind for the
last couple of games.
“I am so proud of him.”
• • •
With the trade deadline passed, Morey indicated he would like to find another big man in the buyout market. That would have to happen before April 9 for the player to be eligible for the postseason.
“I feel pretty good that someone that Coach Rivers thinks will help us will be available,” Morey said. “But it is too early to give too many details on that.”
• • •
NOTES » Green (hip) and Seth Curry (ankle) were both cleared to face the Lakers … The 7-0 Poirier had earlier virus issues and played in just 10 games for the Sixers, averaging 0.8 points. He arrived with Ferguson from Oklahoma City amid the exchange of Danny Green and Al Horford … Ferguson, 22, averaged 0.2 points in 13 Sixers games … The Clippers will host the Sixers Saturday night at 10.