The Philadelphia 76ers are title contenders in the Eastern Conference, and they struck a deal on Thursday in an effort to position themselves better to take the title they think they can take.
They acquired George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team deal. They sent Tony Bradley and two second round picks to the Thunder and sent Vincent Poirier, Terrance Ferguson and a second round pick to the New York Knicks.
Bradley started in the middle for the Sixers in the absence of Joel Embiid, who is out with a bruise on the bone, and he played well. Bradley had been an underrated part of the team 5-1 since the big guy went down and veteran Dwight Howard was sad to see Bradley leave.
“It is very sad to hear that he is leaving our team,” said Howard. “I’ve seen from the start of the season until now that his energy and his efforts have changed, and he’s been playing crazy the last few games and I’m so proud of him. He has the chance to go to Oklahoma City and play big minutes, and I think it will be a blessing in disguise for him. Sad that he is leaving our team, but I am happy for him as a player because he gets the chance he needs, and I hope he keeps working hard not forgetting where you came from in the work, and he will be Excellent.”
The Thunder are one of the younger teams in the league, but they play hard and allow Bradley to make an impact. Once Embiid returned, he would go back to the third string center behind Howard and Embiid, so there were limited opportunities for him.
As for Hill, the veteran has been successful in this competition but failed to make it to the top. He has been to both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, but did not win the title. This is another opportunity for him to do that.
“I think he will put a lot of defensive pressure on the sentry,” Howard said. “Also another smart veteran who’s been playing for a while, who understands the game, and he’s playing for one reason: winning a championship. I look forward to having him on our team. I look forward to making a big impact here in Philadelphia. I can not wait. “
The Sixers will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday to continue their road trip and they will have to decide who will start in the middle now. Normally it would be Bradley because coach Doc Rivers likes to keep Howard with the second unit. Now he will have to decide on Howard or maybe rookie Paul Reed.
This post originally appeared on Sixers WireFollow us on Facebook
