Sixers to acquire Buddy Hield from the Pacers

The Sixers were the first team to get on the board on trade deadline day, swinging a deal to acquire sharpshooter Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers on Thursday morning.

The Sixers are acquiring Hield for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, a 2024 second-round pick via the Toronto Raptors, a 2029 second-round pick via the Portland Trail Blazers, a 2029 second-round pick via the Los Angeles Clippers, and $1.5 million in cash, a league source confirmed to 97.3 ESPN.

The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania was first to report the framework, with The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey filling in the details.

Hield is an established three-point shooter who fits the exact build of a sniper. He's shooting 39 percent on threes this season. That ranks in the 69th percentile amongst wings. But, as important for Philadelphia, 68 percent of his shots are threes, per Cleaning The Glass. That ranks in the 87th percentile of NBA wings.

But, Hield has showcased some diversity in his game since arriving in Indiana in the 2021-22 season. His assist rate of 12.6% ranks in the 61st percentile amongst wings. His assist-to-usage ratio of 0.72 ranks in the 60th percentile. In other words, he's moving the ball reasonably well given the amount of time it's in his hands.

The other side of the coin is that Hield is shooting just 61 percent at the rim, which is below average for wings. Only 21 percent of his shots come at the rim, which is extremely low for wings.

That is all to say, if the threes aren't falling, you might need to get him off the court. His defensive issues are well documented, although he does have a decent blocked shot rate at the wing position this season.

Putting him in the backcourt with Tyrese Maxey only adds to your defensive issues on the perimeter. But, the offense has been so hard to come by in the wake of Joel Embiid's knee injury that you just need anyone with gravity to help take the weight off of Maxey's shoulders.

At the end of the day, the Sixers cast off two pieces who would either be out of the rotation or near the end of the bench in the playoffs and second-round picks for a guy who should be starting for them for the rest of the season.

If Embiid returns, they'll be able to collect some data on Hield's fit next to the team's pillars before he hits the free-agent market this summer.

It's not risk-free, but the Sixers filled a sore need without creating much downside.

Sources say Philadelphia remains active in pursuit of frontcourt depth.