PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 76ers turned over the back-end of their roster on NBA trade deadline day, with team president Daryl Morey making a whopping four deals — in large part to create the roster and salary cap space needed to pursue players on the buyout market.
The slumping Philadelphia 76ers acquired guard Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris Jr., Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trades were not yet official.
Morey made the moves hours — all trades with Eastern Conference teams — ahead of the NBA trade deadline with the Sixers tumbling down the East standings without injured All-Star Joel Embiid.
The Sixers also sent Daniel House and a 2024 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons; then traded guard Patrick Beverley to the Milwaukee Bucks for guard Cameron Payne and a future second-round draft pick; and finished the deadline by sending 2021 first-round pick Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for a 2024 second-round pick, the person said.
The Sixers cleared millions in salary cap space — $4.3 million alone on the House trade, as part of the traded player exception — and could target potential buyout options who could strengthen the postseason run such as Charlotte's Kyle Lowry or Spencer Dinwiddie.
The 76ers now have three open roster spots. The team is $4.9 million below the luxury tax and has a $2.2 million trade exception, per Capsheets.com.
The 76ers are 4-12 without Embiid and will be without the reigning MVP for at least month — if not much longer — following knee surgery this week.
The 76ers will seemingly look like a whole new team when they host Atlanta on Friday.
Beverley broke his own news of the trade: “BREAKING: @patbev21 to the Milwaukee Bucks,” was posted on the social media account that belonged to Beverley's podcast.
Beverley, a two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection, signed a $3.2 million, $1 million free-agent deal with the Sixers. The Pat Bev Podcast posted video on Instagram of Beverley sitting on a sofa with a cell phone against his ear watching the news break on the ESPN ticker.
Hield will earn $19.2 million this season in the final year of a four-year contract. He averaged just 12 points this year in 52 games with the Pacers. He is a career 40% 3-point shooter. Hield made just 28 starts this year but should see an expanded role on a Sixers team hit hard by injuries and illness.
The Sixers have lost seven of eight games.
Hield has been one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA for years in both volume and makes. He hit at least 260 in four straight seasons with the Sacramento Kings and made a career-high 288 last season with the Pacers.
The Sixers are shooting just 31% from 3-point range this season and can only hope Hield provides not only a viable outside option down the stretch but can take some of the pressure off All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who has struggled in Embiid's absence.
Maxey has a combined 50 points in three games since he scored a career-best 51 last week against the Utah Jazz.
Indiana's desire to move Hield was not much of a surprise. Hield, who finished sixth in the league with 3.6 3s per game last season, had been the subject of trade rumors since last year’s trade deadline. An expiring contract and his ability to score made him a likely addition for a team trying to make a deep playoff run — which the 76ers still believe they can do if Embiid is healthy and can return in time of the playoffs.
But the Pacers also needed to make a move to clear out minutes for players such as last season’s all-rookie selection Bennedict Mathurin, who opened the season as a starter but had been playing primarily behind Hield.
If Morris and Korkmaz stay with Indiana, they will add veteran voices to a young locker room without much playoff experience. They also have expiring contracts, which will free up money for Indiana to re-sign players — perhaps even two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam, who was obtained from Toronto in a mid-January trade.
And the three second-round draft picks will help offset the three first-round picks Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard sent to Toronto in the Siakam trade.
The 35-year-old Beverley has averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 19.6 minutes in 47 games.
The Bucks needed a boost to their perimeter defense since the start of the season after losing five-time All-Defensive Team member Jrue Holiday in the trade that brought seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.
The Bucks will be the sixth different team Beverley has joined over the last four seasons. He spent the 2020-21 season with the Los Angeles Clippers, played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2021-22 and split last season between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
Payne, 29, has averaged 6.2 points, 2.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 14.9 minutes in 47 games with the Bucks while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range.
He joined the Bucks this season after spending the last four seasons with the Phoenix Suns. Payne also has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
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AP Sports Writers Michael Marot in Indianapolis and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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