The Indiana Pacers are trading guard Buddy Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers for forward Marcus Morris Sr., guard Furkan Korkmaz, and three second-round draft picks.
In a separate move, the Sixers are also trading Danuel House Jr. and a 2024 second-round draft pick via the New York Knicks to the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
This trade gives the Sixers the salary cap flexibility to sign buyout players post-deadline. One player in particular would be Charlotte Hornets guard Kyle Lowry, if he becomes available in a contract buyout.
All 3 players are on an expiring contract.
Hield will have his $19.3M salary adjusted to $19.8M for trade purposes.
He had $712K in likely bonuses that will now increase to $1.3M (+first/second round).
Morris- $17.1M
Korkmaz- $5.4M https://t.co/OUGIQKplwq
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 8, 2024
Philadelphia now has two open roster spots and is $2.7 million below the luxury tax. Hield (four-year, $94 million), Morris (four-year, $64 million), and Korkmaz (three-year, $15 million) are all on expiring contracts.
Hield will have his $19.3 million salary for this season adjusted to $19.8 million for trade purposes, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Plus, Hield had $712,000 in likely bonuses that will now increase to $1.3 million.
Philadelphia 76ers add sharpshooter Buddy Hield from Indiana Pacers
In 52 games (28 starts) with the Pacers this season, Hield has averaged 12 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 25.7 minutes while shooting 44.3% from the floor, 38.4% from 3-point range, and 84.8% at the foul line.
Hield is one of the best sharpshooters in the league. He finished second in 3-pointers (288), third in 3-point attempts (677), and ninth in 3-point percentage (42.5%) last season.
So far this season, Hield currently ranks 15th in 3-pointers (137), 16th in 3-point attempts (357), and out of the top 10 in 3-point percentage. His long-distance shooting could be revitalized with the Sixers.
In Indiana’s 132-131 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 22, the guard recorded a season-high 31 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block in 36 minutes as a starter.
He finished 12-of-17 (70.6%) shooting from the field and 7-of-12 (58.3%) from deep. His seven 3s were a season high. With the Sacramento Kings, he drained a career-high 11 3s on 21 attempts (52.4%) against Boston on Nov. 25, 2019.
More importantly, Hield has managed to stay healthy. He has appeared in all 52 of the Pacers’ games this season. Considering the number of games Joel Embiid has missed, that’s a plus.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. ET.
