The Philadelphia 76ers are acquiring Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Hield, 31, has been one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters for years. He averaged 12 points per game on 38.4% shooting from behind the arc across 52 games this season for the Pacers. He has made 1,842 career 3-pointers, second to only Stephen Curry since entering the NBA in the 2016-17 season.
He addresses an obvious need for the 76ers, who rank in the bottom five in the NBA in both 3-point attempts and makes this season.
For a 76ers team that is dealing with several injury absences — most notably reigning MVP Joel Embiid — Hield is a welcome addition. He could be the first of multiple moves made by Philadelphia ahead of the deadline to fortify the roster for the stretch run, when there remains a chance Embiid could rejoin the franchise at some point after undergoing a knee procedure earlier this week.
Philadelphia also moved Danuel House Jr. to the Detroit Pistons along with a 2024 second-round pick acquired from the New York Knicks, sources said, allowing Philadelphia to move itself below the luxury tax line and, between the two trades, open up multiple roster spots for potential buyout candidates. One possible option, sources told Wojnarowski, is future Hall of Famer Kyle Lowry, who is currently on the Charlotte Hornets after being sent there by the Miami Heat in a deal for Terry Rozier last month.
Hield also is on an expiring contract, allowing Philadelphia to both maintain its flexibility for this summer, when the 76ers could have max salary cap space, and have the option to retain him in free agency.
Morris, who arrived in the James Harden trade earlier this year, averaged 6.7 points across 37 games this season playing for his hometown team. Korkmaz, meanwhile, has spent his entire seven-year career in Philadelphia, averaging 6.8 points across 328 career games.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
