Indiana Pacers' Buddy Hield (left) and Philadelphia 76ers forward Marcus Morris Sr. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski and Darron Cummings)
The slumping Philadelphia 76ers have acquired guard Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris Sr., Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The Sixers also sent Daniel House and a 2024 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons, the person said. The House trade creates $4.3 million in cap space as part of the traded player exception. The trades have opened salary cap and roster space for the Sixers to pursue a player on the buyout market.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trades were not yet official.
Sixers president Daryl Morey made the moves hours ahead of the NBA trade deadline with the Sixers tumbling down the East standings without injured All-Star Joel Embiid.
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.
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.
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot contributed to this story.