Sixers marginally improve at NBA trade deadline, but lose defense and toughness

But the Sixers expect to be major players on the buyout market, where they will search for a savvy point guard and capable big man.

The Sixers have acquired shooting guard Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers.Read moreMichael Dwyer / AP Photo

by Keith Pompey

Published Feb. 8, 2024, 7:22 p.m. ET

The 76ers got a little better.

The acquisition of Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers helps them because it provides shooting and helps with scoring. But the key to determining how much the Sixers improved will be the buyout market.

They desperately need another center and depth at the guard spot. If they can get a couple good players in the buyout market and Joel Embiid comes back healthy, the Sixers (30-20) will be back in the contender conversation.

But while the Sixers stand to gain offense on the open market, they lost a lot of toughness before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. Four of the five players they traded away — Marcus Morris Sr., Patrick Beverley, Danuel House Jr. and Jaden Springer — all gave the Sixers a certain element of toughness.

Not only was Beverley a tough player, the backup point guard was the team leader.

Beverley got on teammates when needed. He also showed them where they needed to be on the floor. And he was there to pick them up after a bad play.

But the Sixers shipped him to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for backup point guard Cameron Payne and a 2027 second-round pick.

A league source said one of the reasons the Sixers were comfortable trading Beverley is because of their confidence in they feel fairly confident in adding a guard in the buyout market. For the Sixers, this was about adding a solid contributor in Payne, getting a draft pick and having flexibility to add another impactful player.

The worst-kept secret is the high probability that the Sixers will sign six-time All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry. The former Villanova standout and North Philly native is expected to be bought out by the Charlotte Hornets, who recently acquired him from the Miami Heat. Lowry also played for Sixers coach Nick Nurse as a member of the Toronto Raptors and they won the 2019 NBA title together.

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers had been mentioned as possible buyout-market destinations for Lowry. However, the Sixers feel good about bringing him home, according to sources.

But while Lowry could make a splash down the road, Hield was the big move on Thursday.

One day after sources indicated there was no traction in trade discussions, the Sixers agreed late Thursday morning to acquire the sharpshooter in a three-team trade that also involved the San Antonio Spurs. While the Sixers got Hield, Indiana got Furkan Korkmaz, two second-round picks, and $1.5 million in cash. The picks are the Toronto Raptors’ 2024 second-rounder and Portland Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-rounder .

Morris and the Los Angeles Clippers’ 2029 second-rounder pick went to the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio, in turn, sent Doug McDermott to the Pacers. Shortly afterward, Morris was waived by the Spurs and the Pacers parted ways with Korkmaz.

Meanwhile, the Sixers sent House, a 2024 second-round pick and cash via the New York Knicks to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick. A source said moving House, who makes $4.3 million this season, enabled the Sixers to create a Traded Players Exception and some financial flexibility, providing an other opportunity to add a player via the buyout market. Like Morris, House was waived by his new team.

And in their last move, the Sixers sent Springer to the Boston Celtics for a 2024 second-rounder, which will be the more favorable of the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans.

Time will tell if the Sixers gave up on Springer too soon.

The third-year guard rarely played during his first two seasons, and saw action in 32 games this season. But Springer showed that he was capable of being a lockdown defender while guarding perennial All-Stars the last two games.

Springer helped hold Stephen Curry to nine points on 2-for-7 shooting in Wednesday’s 127-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors at the Wells Fargo Center. This came after he helped hold Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić to 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting in Monday’s 118-102 home loss. Dončić is averaging a league-best 34.5 points.

Springer could have been a young player the Sixers continued to develop because of his huge upside. But they had other plans.

To sum up the day, the Sixers added a sharpshooter, flipped backup point guards, created flexibility and three roster spots.

However, they remain in desperate need of a dependable center to hold down the fort until Embiid returns from lateral meniscus surgery in six to eight weeks.

The Sixers may be marginally better right now, but they lost defense and toughness. And that’s not ideal for a team that has lost three straight and seven of eight games.

That’s why everything now depends on the buyout market.