NBA Fans Hype Buddy Hield Trade amid Joel Embiid Injury, Say 76ers 'Fleeced' Pacers

Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made the first major move of deadline day by acquiring Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers sent Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks to Indiana for Hield.

Based on the initial reaction from fans, Morey got away with a heist by acquiring one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA for two little-used role players and multiple second-round draft picks.

It's been apparent for some time that Hield didn't have much of a future in Indiana. The Pacers tried to find a trade partner before the season began when the two sides couldn't come to terms on a contract extension.

Even though Hield has appeared in all 52 games so far this season, head coach Rick Carlisle hasn't been using him as frequently. He's averaging 25.7 minutes per game, which is on pace to be his fewest in a season since 2017-18 (25.3).

Aaron Nesmith has taken over as the starting small forward for the Pacers. Hield did move back into the starting five for 11 games from Jan. 14-Feb. 1 when Tyrese Haliburton missed time due to a strained hamstring.

The return for Hield isn't exciting for the Pacers, but he was a superfluous player in their rotation. They already have plenty of shooting, especially now that Haliburton is healthy, and he's a limited player on an expiring contract.

This move for the Sixers would seem to indicate optimism that Joel Embiid can return before the end of the season. He had meniscus surgery on Tuesday and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said on the Takeoff podcast the current expectation is Embiid will be out for six to eight weeks.

An eight-week absence would have Embiid potentially back on the court in the first week of April.

The Sixers have lost seven of their last eight games and fallen to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 30-20 record.

Hield gives the 76ers another scoring presence to ease the pressure off Tyrese Maxey while they wait for Embiid to return. He's shooting 38.4 percent from behind the arc on 6.9 attempts per game this season.