With the NBA trade deadline coming down to its final hours, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to make a move for the former top-10 draft pick, Buddy Hield.
The Indiana Pacers are sending the sharpshooter to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, and three second-round picks.
Buddy Hield Goes to the Philadelphia 76ers in a Massive Trade
Buddy Hield is currently having one of the most disappointing seasons in his eight-year career shooting the ball at a mild 44.8% from the field along with a 38.2% from deep- his attempts per game are also the lowest they’ve been since he entered the league in 2016.
Although his production has been less of an altering factor this year, Buddy Hield still offers quite the versatility on offense. Known most for his 3-point shooting, the 31-year-old veteran has seen his role be cut back quite a bit on an Indiana Pacers roster that offers a much more versatile skill set on both sides of the ball. With a role in Philadelphia’s offense, the once 3-point contest champion will return to his catch-and-shoot playstyle in which he once flourished in.
The Philadelphia 76ers Hope to Contend without Joel Embiid
With Super-Star Joel Embiid averaging 35.3ppg and 11.3rpg as well as the up-and-coming star, Tyrese Maxey averaging 25.6ppg, this trade was designated to add to the density of their offense come post-season time. Adding a sharpshooter like Hield into that offense allows Philadelphia to spread the ball to the corners of the court creating more opportunities for their star big man in the long run.
The Philadelphia 76ers were able to retain all of the key pieces to their championship-caliber offense and it became only more volatile after clearing some dead weight and adding a piece they were specifically looking for. They’re sending away Marcus Morris who is averaging an inefficient 6.7ppg in 17.2mpg, and Furkan Korkmaz who has rarely seen the court this year, as well as 3 second-round picks.
We’ve seen the Philadelphia 76ers come up short of the NBA Finals year after year, but with Joel Embiid having a stellar year, Tyrese Maxey entering the verge of stardom, and a bench unit that is as dense as they come, perhaps Buddy Hield was the piece they needed to secure a deep playoff run this year.
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