Evaluating the Trade Deadline

Okay, almost 48 hours to really digest the Sixers' trade deadline moves. Or lack thereof, depending on your perspective. In the end, it boils down to the acquisition of George Hill.

The 34-year-old is a sturdy veteran who fill a void as a guy who can manage the offense on his own, play off of Ben Simmons, be a competitive point-of-attack defender at the guard position with the length and strength to body up against smaller wings in a pinch, and bring a tremendous amount of postseason experience and professionalism to the locker room. No, Hill is not Kyle Lowry (who didn't end up changing addresses after all), but I dig the move a lot, especially at the steep discount from what the latter would have cost.

At the same time, after all the dust has settled, I can't help but feel a touch underwhelmed. No, apart from the possible exception of a Lowry deal, I didn't expect Daryl Morey to swing for the fences with a trade for a guy like Victor Oladipo (though what the Miami Heat ended up getting him for is astoundingly cheap), or clear the deck for Buddy Hield, or completely blow my mind and snag a guy like Zach Lavine. But I did expect the Sixers to be a bigger threat to land more veteran help on the margins. Their interest in Nemanja Bjelica was an open secret, and at one point they were even considered the prohibitive favorite to land P.J. Tucker. Either of those guys would have been a nice upgrade over, say, Mike Scott's minutes as a backup-4/small-ball 5. Hell, I even cooked up a couple swap ideas for them myself.

Both of those guys got moved to other Eastern Conference rivals (Bjelica to, again, the Heat, and Tucker to Milwaukee).

Or how about reuniting with J.J. Redick? True, many experts basically had it set in stone that he would be bought out and sign with a contender in the northeast, but the Dallas Mavericks made a smart move getting out ahead of that and swinging a minor deal for the 15-year vet. That's the type of creative, proactive deal I would expect from Morey. I know he's lost a step or three on defense and is currently on the mend from a right heel injury, but are you telling me they wouldn't love to have a 41.5% career 3-point shooter who still pinballs around the half court with manic energy tying defenses in knots? Especially with a Joel Embiid who has improved noticeably since Redick last suited up for Philly?

What about looking at the San Antonio Spurs? Even with the LaMarcus Aldridge buyout, they were replete with useful thirtysomething role players on expiring deals that could have helped tremendously (Rudy Gay, Patty Mills). Or, if you couldn't have Lowry, maybe try to score his former backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan? I know that would be a questionable fit given his noted affinity for the midrange (though he has upped his and ball dominant style, not to mention the likely high cost, but I'm just spitballing here.

Morey spoke at length about wanting to avoid sacrificing the team's chances for the future, and I get that. He has also expressed his comfort with the roster as currently constructed on multiple occasions, and he has a point. Particularly since Embiid went down with a knee injury, the Sixers have received contributions from up and down the roster. Outside of Simmons and Tobias Harris, Danny Green has proven a steady fit on the wing, Seth Curry seems to be rounding back into early form, and bench guys like Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, and Dwight Howard have all had their moments.

And this is to say nothing of some of the names that have (Aldridge, Andre Drummond) and could (Kelly Olynyk, Otto Porter Jr.) hit the buyout market. There could be a quality piece out there snatched up by the Sixers later today for all I know. That's something. It's also not a guarantee.

But there is something different about this year in the NBA. The dynastic Golden State Warriors are long since dead. The Los Angeles Lakers are in genuine danger of dropping to play-in territory out West in the wake of long-term injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The Clippers have as much talent as any team but still feel a bit fragile. The Boston Celtics look more like an also-ran than a contender. The Bucks will appear to be a glass cannon until they can parlay their regular-season dominance into postseason success. The Brooklyn Nets look truly formidable, but the fragility of some of their top stars (Durant, Irving) and lack of defensive depth could bite them. I haven't even mentioned the Jazz, Nuggets, Suns or any of the other teams that credibly have a case to be considered a contender. There are so many hats in the ring--which means there is room for an alpha.

I will reiterate--the move the Sixers made was an excellent one. It improves the team more than a little bit. And this is a strong roster, and will only get better when Embiid returns. They might have enough now to win it all. But in the NBA, as I've said before, when you have a chance to shoot your shot, you shoot your shot. The Sixers loaded the gun, but holstered it.