Getty Philadelphia 76ers point guard George Hill during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Philadelphia 76ers “big” splash from the 2021 NBA trade deadline may soon be setting sail on a new venture.
It was reported early Tuesday morning that the Sixers are planning to waive veteran point guard George Hill, who was picked up by the team in March via a three-team deal involving the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks.
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Hill, who turned 35 in May, was picked up by Philly along with Ignas Brazdeikis from the Knicks, while the club sent Tony Bradley and two second-round picks to the Thunder and Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier and a second-round pick to New York. Brazdeikis was soon waived by the Sixers.
Hill was under a partially-guaranteed contract of $1.27 million and Tuesday is the day where the 2008 draft pick’s full salary of $10.04 million would have become fully guaranteed for next season.
What Does Hill’s Departure Mean for the Rest of Sixers’ Summer?
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz and point guard George Hill defend Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young.
The end of Hill’s tenure in Philadelphia shouldn’t have any impact on whether the Sixers ultimately trade Ben Simmons, despite the team now being short one point guard. Though the team has only made a couple of moves in free agency thus far, including the re-signing Furkan Korkmaz, and though Korkmaz normally comes into games as a two-guard, the 76ers currently have more guard depth on their roster even with the possible departure of Simmons.
As long as he’s not traded this off-season, Tyrese Maxey is expected to take a bigger role next season in his sophomore year in the league at point guard, regardless of what happens with Simmons. Additionally, holdovers like Seth Curry and Shake Milton have shown the ability to run show in spurts, plus No. 28 draft pick Jaden Springer is a good-sized point guard at 6-foot-4 – the same height as Hill.
While Springer could help with backcourt depth, the team’s other two picks – Charles Bassey and Filip Petrusev – are both big men, so won’t be much help in that department.
Hill’s Brief Stay in Philadelphia Ended as Low-Risk, Low-Reward
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers point guard George Hill during a playoff game in May.
When Hill was acquired in March, there were some mixed reactions, but the majority of fans didn’t approve of the move. Now that his playing days in Philadelphia are all but over, it’s time to take a look at the numbers.
In his 16 regular-season games – including three starts – Hill averaged 6.0 points and 1.9 assists in 18.9 minutes per contest, while posting a shooting line of 44.2/39.1/76.0. The field goal percentage and free throw percentage figures were career-lows for Hill.
“Hill worked his way back from a mallet thumb injury he suffered earlier in the season to debut for the Sixers in April,” NBC Sports Philadelphia 76ers reporter Noah Levick wrote. “Hill appeared in every postseason game for the Sixers. Though solid and switchable defensively, he didn’t make much of an impact as a scorer or perimeter playmaker. He also was placed in difficult positions at times having to guard frontcourt players, including during the Sixers’ Game 7 second-round defeat to the Hawks.”
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