The Philadelphia 76ers have made a move to bolster their bench ahead of the upcoming playoff push. Before the trade deadline on Thursday, the Sixers traded backup center Tony Bradley, reserve wing Terrance Ferguson and two future second-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for veteran guard George Hill, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The trade is a three-way deal that also includes the New York Knicks, who will receive Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and a 2021 second-round pick from Philadelphia. The Knicks will send forward Iggy Brazdeikis to the Sixers. Additionally, Austin Rivers will be moved from the Knicks to the Thunder. The second-round picks the Sixers are sending to the Thunder are reportedly in 2025 and 2026. A 76ers team source confirmed the trade to CBS Sports.
Hill is a solid veteran addition for a Philadelphia team with legitimate championship aspirations. He will provide the Sixers with an additional ball-handler and shot-maker -- something that they desperately needed. George has averaged 11.1 points and 3.2 assists per game over the course of his career while also shooting 45 percent from the floor and 38 percent from 3-point range. Hill will likely run Philadelphia's second unit as a backup to All-Star guard Ben Simmons. Hill could also play alongside Simmons for stretches. Hill has one year remaining on his current contract, but his salary for next season is only partially guaranteed at $1.2 million.
Tony Bradley has been playing some really solid ball for Philadelphia in Joel Embiid's absence as of late, and at just 23 years old, he could be a nice young frontcourt piece for the Thunder moving forward. In his last game with the Sixers against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Bradley scored a career-high 18 points while shooting a perfect 8 of 8 from the floor. But while Bradley has shown promise as a player, the move makes sense for Philadelphia. As the team's third-string center, behind Embiid and Dwight Howard, Bradley likely wouldn't have played in the postseason unless Embiid was injured. George Hill, on the other hand, will likely be a legitimate contributor for the Sixers in the playoffs.
Heading into deadline day on Thursday, the Sixers were one of the top potential landing spots for Toronto Raptors veteran guard Kyle Lowry. However, after the addition of Hill, the Sixers are reportedly no longer pursuing a trade for Lowry, according to Wojnarowski. That doesn't necessarily mean the Sixers are done making moves, but with Hill now in tow, they clearly feel like they're set at the point position.
Philadelphia receives:
Oklahoma City receives:
- 2025 second-round pick from Philadelphia
- 2026 second-round pick from Philadelphia
New York receives:
- 2021 second-round pick from Philadelphia
- 2024 second-round pick from Miami (protected Nos. 31-55)
76ers trade grade: B
Hill doesn't move the needle as much as Lowry would have, but he came at a much cheaper price and still addresses a major area of need for Philadelphia. He can serve as the team's backup point guard while also providing them with additional shot-making and floor spacing. While Bradley is a promising young player, Hill will likely be a much bigger contributor for the Sixers in the playoffs than Bradley would have been. Plus, as a team with an open championship window, the Sixers can afford to part with future second-round picks in the name of improvement in the present. Ferguson and Poirier barely played for Philadelphia, so they won't be missed.
Thunder trade grade: A
The Thunder are in full rebuild mode and for them, this trade was all about acquiring assets while moving off of the contract of a player that clearly isn't in the future plans of the franchise. Not only did the Thunder get two future second-round picks to add to their arsenal (they now have a whopping 34 picks over the next seven years), but they also got a promising young big man in Bradley that could play a real role for the team moving forward. Sam Presti continues to set the Thunder up for future success.
Knicks trade grade: C
This deal isn't especially noteworthy for the Knicks, though they did get a second-round pick in 2021 for their involvement, which is a positive. Rivers and Brazdeikis weren't playing real roles for the Knicks, so they won't be missed much. Perhaps they'll find some playing time for Ferguson or Poirier, but if not at least they added some draft capital.
