The Philadelphia 76ers did not do the kind of blockbuster movement that many thought could happen. In the days leading up to the NBA’s 2021 negotiation deadline and in the last few hours before the 3pm bell on March 25, the Sixers were firmly in the mix to switch to Kyle Lowry. Shortly after the clock struck 3:00, however, it was confirmed that Lowry would remain stationary.
Ultimately, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, no offer forced the Toronto Raptors to make a change and Lowry has always enjoyed staying in Toronto this season. Masai Ujiri and the Raptors had a high price for Lowry – a package that supposedly needed to include Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle and two first-round choices. In the last episode of The Lowe Post with Bobby Marks, ESPN’s Zach Lowe confirmed that the Sixers were willing to include Maxey. Marks added that the Raptors also wanted Thybulle. At this point, it seems that such a valuable selection of young talent, choices and players to match the salary (which would include Danny Green) was too much for Daryl Morey and the Six.
Philly was still interested in Lowry even after they acquired George Hill in a three-team exchange with Oklahoma City and New York, but they were happy to stay with their new veteran guard given the high price requested by Lowry. At the end of the day, the Sixers sent Tony Bradley, Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and four second-round picks to Hill and Ignas Brazdeikis.
It’s a shame that the Sixers were unable to maximize their title chances and Joel Embiid’s MVP level season with someone like Kyle Lowry. He was the best player they could have realistically acquired. Lowry would have provided a combination of quality play, kick and in-ball support that would have raised Philly’s limited perimeter creation. But if Lowry was going to cost two key players in Thybulle and Green, a highly promising newcomer in Maxey, and two choices in the first round, it made perfect sense for the Sixers to step aside. As much as Lowry had helped, such an exchange would have reduced the Sixers’ rotation, making them much shorter in wing defense and significantly depleting their assets for the future.
“We chose an option that we thought would really improve our team this year on both ends and, at the same time, keep all of our options alive in the future,” explained Sixers basketball operations president Daryl Morey after the deadline.
“If George Hill becomes an integral part of this team, we think he will become, we have the option to keep him and not let him go to a free agency,” said Morey. “We also kept all of our important assets in order to update the team in the future, so we really feel good about this option. This allows us to really update the team for the upcoming playoff wars and, at the same time, keep all of our bullets if an option in the future becomes available. “
Hill’s contract gives the Sixers options to move on. He is still under contract in 2021-22 for $ 10.04 million, with only $ 1.27 million guaranteed. This is a fair wage if the Sixers want to keep it, or a good-sized contract that could be used as part of another exchange, if necessary.
Morey explained that although you put more emphasis on competing in the current season, he always looks forward to it. Maximizing your chance for a title is not necessarily going all-in during a single season. It is about maintaining a longer championship window with chances of winning in the future as well.
“I’m always looking at a time frame of three, two to four years and trying to maximize our chances,” said Morey. “I think Doc, Elton and I, we hope to have a long journey here. We have some incredible players at their peak. What I’m trying to do is to maximize our chance of winning the title in that heavier window this year. So, if there is a change that increases our chances a little bit more this year, but really hurts our chances in the future, then it does not make sense. In fact, we are undermining our chance to win the overall title. If it is a move that increases our odds in a decent way, but does not affect our future odds, then it is a move that looks very interesting. I think this movement [for Hill] we increased our chances of championship very materially, and we also kept ours in the future preserved at a very high level. “
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Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE photo via Getty Images
George Hill does not add the level of playmaking, scoring and pull-up shooting that Lowry would have, but he does help in some areas. Hill is an excellent passer and pick-and-roll player, who can lighten the game load on Shake Milton and help stabilize the second unit’s attack. A reliable decision maker, Hill averaged 3.2 assists for just 1.2 turnovers per game in his career (4.1 to 1.6, respectively, for 36 minutes). Last season, Hill had another highly efficient race in Milwaukee. He qualified in the 95th percentile in the general half-court attack, in the 79th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball handler (76th when including his pass possession), and even shot 46% as the league’s best player in three. Hill hit 38.4 percent of rock bottom in his career and 40.2 percent in the past six seasons. His long track record of excellence as a scoring threat makes him an easy fit off the ball and a good start alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. At the other end of the track, Hill offers a solid defense against both guard positions, with enough versatility and length to pass through to some attackers. Hill having a lot of playoff experience always helps, too.
Morey emphasized the importance of not just adding Hill’s shots and decision making, but finding a player who could provide a robust defense and fill two-way lineups for the playoffs. He felt that the Sixers had some lineups where there was a player for other teams to attack. If the Sixers are going to win the title, Morey believes they have to be the best defensive team in the NBA. At the moment, they are not far away, sitting in second place, just behind the Lakers.
“I kind of see [Hill] as an acquisition like Danny Green, a guy who has gone through many wars in the playoffs, guys who can get it right at a high level, ”said Morey. “So that when Joel is in a team or people have to pass out on Ben in the painting, those fainting will be hit in a very high percentage. And in addition, Danny and George offer a solid defense, a solid defense tested in the playoffs. That was also a big factor. “
The Sixers can easily launch a line of Simmons, Hill, Green, Tobias Harris and Embiid for a great balance of size, defense and shooting. Or, for situations where they truth want to chase teams, the Six can switch from Harris to Thybulle. Overall, Hill gives the Sixers another player who can complement his team at both ends of the court, and fit in perfectly alongside Simmons and Embiid as an out-of-the-ball pitcher or complementary ball handler.
“It is very important that if you put a defender on our pitch, especially with Joel and Ben, that player can kick, that player can be safe with the ball,” said Morey. “George has always been an extremely secure guy with the ball, who makes the right move.”
Hill is still out of the question for now, after having surgery on his right thumb in January, but Morey explained that Hill’s procedure ensures that this injury will not be a problem again in the future and that “it won’t be long” until he returns .
Without Tony Bradley, who had given the Sixers effective minutes as his starting 5 in the absence of Embiid, the Sixers’ central rotation is left short. Morey said the team feels good about what they have with Embiid, Dwight Howard, and the option of going smaller at times with Simmons. However, if the Sixers make a move in the takeover market, Morey hopes it is likely to be to hire a great man.
The disappointment in Philadelphia after failing to land Kyle Lowry is understandable. It’s the kind of play that would have visibly increased the Sixers’ title chances and improved their chances against a team as talented as Brooklyn. But as the Sixers are now, they are still a better team. George Hill is a perfect fit. It solidifies some elements of the second unit and gives Philly more versatility in the lineup and another two-way option that can be used to help close games. Seeing how the Sixers were able to add a useful update while maintaining their assets and future flexibility, it appears that they made the most of their trading deadline.