George Hill is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a three-way deal involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Hill was sent by the Thunder to the Sixers in exchange for Tony Bradley and second-round picks in 2025 and 2026. The 76ers will get Ignas Brazdeikis from the Knicks, and the deal also includes Terrance Ferguson joining the Knicks, while Austin Rivers heads to OKC.
After missing out on Kyle Lowry, what can Philly expect from Hill at point guard?
Kevin Pelton hands out trade grades for both teams.
The deal
76ers get: George Hill, Ignas Brazdeikis
Thunder get: Tony Bradley, Austin Rivers, two future second-round picks
Knicks get: Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and a 2021 second-round pick
Get more trade grades from Pelton here
Philadelphia 76ers: B+
He's not Kyle Lowry, but the Sixers ended up getting the best point guard to change teams at the deadline. Hill always seemed certain to be dealt to a contender before the trade deadline. His combination of shooting ability, the size to play either guard spot, playoff experience and a reasonable contract ($9.6 million this season, $1.3 million of $10 million guaranteed for 2021-22) made Hill an ideal deadline target.
Hill ended up playing just 14 games for the Thunder, a temporary stop for him after he was dealt initially to the New Orleans Pelicans and then on to Oklahoma City. He started alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before suffering a thumb injury in January that required surgery. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters last week that Hill is still in a cast, though he should be expected to return to the court soon.
When he did play, Hill looked like more or less the same player we saw during nearly two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Although Hill shouldn't be expected to repeat his league-leading 46% accuracy on 3s during 2019-20, he hit 39% early this season, right near his career mark of 38%. Nearly half of Hill's attempts have come from beyond the arc the past two seasons, allowing him to score with above-average efficiency.
At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Hill will fit in defensively with Philadelphia, checking either guard spot and maybe even some small forwards. I'd expect him to come off the bench and help stabilize a second unit that's lacking in terms of playmaking, but Hill could also finish games in place of either Seth Curry or Danny Green, depending on whether the 76ers need more shooting or more defense from those spots.
Getting Hill without substantially increasing the luxury-tax bill cost Philadelphia three second-round picks -- two of them going to the Thunder and a third to the Knicks, who had to be included in this deal because Oklahoma City could not reacquire Ferguson and Poirier. (Both players were previously traded from the Thunder to the Sixers this league year as part of the Al Horford package.)
All told, this move adds about a million in salary to Philadelphia's payroll, which translates into an additional $2.5 million in luxury taxes before a reduction based on the amount that basketball-related income falls short of pre-pandemic projections.
Looking forward, the 76ers will have a decision to make on whether to guarantee Hill's $10 million salary prior to the start of free agency this summer or waive him and eat the $1.3 million guaranteed portion. I'd guess that even if Philadelphia decides not to bring back Hill, there should be a trade market for him at that price.
The disappointment for the Sixers is that they had to include Bradley as matching salary. He's played well recently in place of the injured Joel Embiid, averaging 7.3 points and 6.9 rebounds on 79% shooting as Philadelphia has gone 7-1 with him starting. I'd have rather included Mike Scott, who has been ineffective this season and has a larger $5.0 million salary. But a healthy Embiid backed up by Dwight Howard should render that distinction moot come playoff time.
Oklahoma City Thunder: B+
Getting two second-round picks without taking back any long-term salary was a good outcome for the Thunder with Hill. Oklahoma City ended up returning two players, Bradley and Austin Rivers from New York, making room for them by waiving Meyers Leonard after he was acquired as matching salary in a trade with the Miami Heat last week.
Rivers probably won't last long with the Thunder. Technically, he's got two seasons remaining on the contract he signed as a free agent with the Knicks last fall. Neither has guaranteed salary, however, so Oklahoma City could buy him out now without any long-term consequences. Bradley may get a chance to play down the stretch when Horford rests, which is often. He'll be a restricted free agent at season's end.
New York Knicks: B
The Knicks' $15-plus million in cap space didn't end up amounting to much at the trade deadline, meaning they'll take it with them to the draft. New York used a sliver of it to bring back salary in this trade, adding about $1.5 million in payroll in exchange for getting a second-round pick that should fall toward the end of the round this year.
If they want, the Knicks will also get a look at Ferguson, who won't turn 23 until May. The former Thunder first-round pick barely played in Philadelphia, seeing just 49 minutes all season.