Sixers retool roster during active trade deadline — and may not be done

While on a YouTube livestream from his couch Thursday afternoon, Patrick Beverley took a quick call from his mother. The now-former 76ers guard received notification for a 9 p.m. flight that night. He said, “I love this [expletive] city” when talking about Philly. Then he added he is excited to play again for coach Doc Rivers with the Milwaukee Bucks, because “I know his message clearer than anyone.”

”I’ve been in the trenches with Doc,” Beverley told Adam Ferrone, his co-host on the Pat Bev Pod. “I don’t mind … at all.”

It was a rare glimpse into what life is like in real time for a player moved at the NBA’s trade deadline. It also signified the Sixers’ active Thursday to attempt to retool in the midst of their recent slide without injured reigning MVP Joel Embiid, while opening roster spots for more possible reinforcements, hanging onto some assets, and maintaining what the organization believes will be the most salary-cap space among contenders this summer.

» READ MORE: Sixers NBA trade deadline: Philly acquires Buddy Hield, trades away Patrick Beverley and four others

The Sixers did not directly bolster the frontcourt for this period Embiid is sidelined while recovering from knee surgery. Instead, they added an outside shooting threat in Buddy Hield in a deal that sent Furkan Korkmaz and draft compensation to the Indiana Pacers, and Marcus Morris Sr. and draft compensation to the San Antonio Spurs. From the Bucks in the Beverley trade, the Sixers received reserve guard Cameron Payne and a second-round draft pick. The Sixers also sent Danuel House Jr., a second-round pick and cash considerations to the Detroit Pistons for a future second-rounder, a move designed to open space under the luxury tax. And in a surprise minutes before the 3 p.m. deadline, the Sixers dealt Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for a second-round pick.

Hield, a long-rumored Sixers target, gives them a deep-range gunner who should help make up for some of the scoring lost in Embiid’s absence. Hield is a career 40.1% shooter on more than seven three-point attempts per game, and was averaging 12 points per game this season for the high-powered Indiana Pacers.

His new team could use a jolt from beyond the arc. The Sixers entered Thursday ranked 26th out of 30 teams in three-point attempts per game (31.4 per game), and 27th in makes from long range (11.4 per game). That is a statistic coach Nick Nurse often attributed to Embiid’s dominance inside and in the mid-range — comparing it to successfully running up the middle in football — but had come back into focus during the big man’s absence. In their past eight games, the Sixers’ numbers had dipped to dead last in the league in three-point makes (9.1 per game) and attempts (29 per game), and 29th in percentage (31.5).

Hield will be a free agent this summer, meaning the Sixers have not committed long-term salary to the 31-year-old who spent the bulk of his career with the Sacramento Kings.

Payne, meanwhile, is a capable supplementary ballhandler who entered Thursday averaging 6.2 points and 2.3 assists in 14.9 minutes per game, while shooting 39.7% from three-point range. He spent parts of the previous four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, where he revived his NBA career and was the backup point guard on their 2021 Finals team. While with Phoenix, he played for Sixers assistant Bryan Gates.

In these moves, the Sixers lost Beverely, who quickly gained popularity with Philly fans because of his tenacious playing style, while averaging 6.3 points, 3.1 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 47 games. Morris had solidified a rotation spot after joining the Sixers from the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden blockbuster, and took pride in playing for his hometown team. He got emotional while speaking about being announced last — and from “North Philly” — during starting lineup introductions before a game last month, and was also recently given the key to the city in a ceremony at City Hall.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Marcus Morris, the pride of Erie Avenue, will receive a key to the City of Philadelphia

Korkmaz spent his entire seven-year career with the Sixers as a 35.6% three-point shooter and complementary ballhandler, but had fallen out of the rotation in recent seasons and had made multiple trade requests. House spent parts of two seasons with the Sixers as an athletic wing, but had toggled in and out of the rotation. The 21-year-old Springer had flashed elite potential as an NBA defender — impressively guarding Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic in back-to-back games earlier this week — though his offensive game had struggled to progress.

Thursday’s approach could signal that the Sixers are primed to dive into the buyout market, with three roster spots available. There is now less competition from fellow contenders than in previous seasons, because of the new CBA rules that prohibit teams in the “first apron” over the luxury tax line from signing such players who had a pre-existing salary over $12.4 million. This year, those teams are the Clippers, Suns, Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat.

Kyle Lowry is the easiest name to attach to the Sixers, given his Philly roots, that he plays a position of need, and that he has long (and title-winning) history with Nurse from their Toronto Raptors days. Robin Lopez could be a center option, after he was traded late from the Bucks to the Sacramento Kings. Spencer Dinwiddie is an intriguing shot-maker, but is expected to have several suitors including, per ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers. Morris and House are, coincidentally, among the players contenders are also expected to pursue.

After the Raptors dealt OG Anunoby (to the New York Knicks) and Pascal Siakam (to the Pacers) earlier in trade season, Thursday’s deadline did not pack the punch of last season (when the Brooklyn Nets moved Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) or 2022 (when the Sixers ended the Ben Simmons saga by acquiring James Harden in a deal with Brooklyn).

The most recognizable name moved was Gordon Hayward, who is past his All-Star prime but will add a productive and professional veteran to the rising Oklahoma City Thunder. Perhaps the most coveted player to change teams Thursday was Bojan Bogdanovic, who was acquired with Alec Burks in another savvy move by the surging Knicks.

Dejounte Murray, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma, meanwhile, all stayed put. So did role players with trade chatter surrounding them in recent weeks, such as Andre Drummond (whom the Sixers expressed interest in re-acquiring, a source told The Inquirer), Tyus Jones, and Bruce Brown.

Once the Sixers complete their retooled roster, their immediate task is to implement those players into a group struggling to stay healthy and afloat without Embiid. They have lost seven of their past eight games entering Friday’s home matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings at 30-20. They then have road dates against the Washington Wizards on Saturday and Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, before hosting the Miami Heat Wednesday in their final game before the All-Star break.

And a couple hours after Beverley’s post-trade livestream, Embiid dropped in with his deadline thoughts.

“Lots of people got better!” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday afternoon. “That’s fun for competition …”