It was an active, yet unpredictable trade deadline for Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and his front office. The team performed an unorthodox balancing act between buying and selling, as their outlook for the near future remains murky due to the unclear status of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who remains sidelined due to a left meniscus injury.
So, how did Morey and co. fare on Thursday?
Trade No. 1: Marcus Morris Sr., Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks for Buddy Hield
The Sixers' biggest move was their first one, when they combined the expiring contracts of Morris and Korkmaz, along with three second-round picks, to acquire one of the league's most prolific three-point shooters in Hield, 31, a career 40.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Hield combines excellent efficiency with gargantuan volume as a shooter, making him one of the single greatest marksmen in history from a statistical standpoint.
The three second-round picks the Sixers traded were Toronto's in 2024 and those of Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2029. Toronto's upcoming second-rounder is considered a premium pick, as they have struggled mightily this season, but the other two picks are fairly negligible as distant selections.
There is no doubt that the Sixers were able to give their rotation a significant boost here. Korkmaz was only ever getting minutes out of necessity, and Morris — who at times performed admirably after being acquired from the Clippers early in the season — is likely not a viable rotation piece in high leverage situations and games due to his defensive limitations. While Hield is no stopper, his shooting alone is enough to guarantee he is a rotation player when games matter the most. Going from one regular season player and one bench-warmer to someone with much greater capacity is significant, to be sure.
The Sixers will be a better team for having made this trade, there is no doubt. They gave up a noteworthy but not reckless amount of draft compensation to make it happen. Morey's biggest trade was likely his best.
Grade: A-
Trade No. 2: Danuel House Jr., second-round pick sent to Detroit Pistons
The reason there is no return listed for the Sixers is that they did not actually receive any genuine assets in this trade. The deal was simple: they gave up New York's second-round pick in 2024 — currently projected to be the 52nd overall selection — for the Pistons to take on the remaining financial commitment owed to House, who despite being a key rotation piece in recent weeks has never been able to establish himself as a consistent player in his year-plus with the Sixers.
While the Sixers did move on from House, there were few basketball motivators behind this deal. It was almost entirely an accounting decision.
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Grade: C
Trade No. 3: Patrick Beverley to the Milwaukee Bucks for Cameron Payne, 2027 second-round pick
Here was the real stunner. Beverley had a brutal start to the season, but for several weeks now has been one of the team's most consistent and reliable pieces, a high-quality backup point guard who defended well and was surprisingly effective as a scorer and distributor.
To trade that player is a bit confusing. To trade him to one of the team's biggest rivals — a team that was desperate for a player like Beverley — is even more confounding.
Payne figures to be a serviceable backup point guard in Beverley's absence, should he be assigned that role. But the trade of Beverley will only add fuel to the fire that is the rumor that the Sixers will soon sign Charlotte Hornets guard Kyle Lowry, who is expected to work out a buyout agreement with Charlotte to become a free agent.
Lowry is likely a slight upgrade over Beverley, and so if the Sixers can land him, no harm, no foul. But making this trade without assurance that the Philadelphia native and Villanova product would be on board seems risky. The Sixers just barely get a passing grade here because of the likelihood of a Lowry arrival.
Grade: C-
Trade No. 4: Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for 2024 second-round pick
The Sixers dealt their 2021 first-round pick to Boston in exchange for what is currently slotted as the 41st overall selection in the upcoming draft. That is a valuable second-rounder, especially after the team gave up a premium pick to the Indiana Pacers in the Hield deal, but giving up on Springer given his recent momentum and the fact that the team already had two roster spots open is a questionable call.
Springer still has to figure out how to become a viable offensive player, but his defense is already well above-average across multiple positions. The third-year guard is now at the back of a stacked guard rotation in Boston, but if he can develop even the slightest of offensive skills, he figures to become a rotation player of some caliber thanks to his pestering defense.
Adding a valuable second round pick helps the Sixers moving forward. But it is a hard pill to swallow that they drafted a project in Springer, and just when he was beginning to emerge as a potential piece to plug into the rotation moving forward, they gave up on his potential.
Grade: C
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