The Philadelphia 76ers appear to be assessing a wide variety of guards ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
In addition to reportedly discussing separate deals for Toronto Raptors franchise star Kyle Lowry and breakout scorer Norman Powell, the Eastern Conference leaders have also broached potential trades for the New Orleans Pelicans' Lonzo Ball and Oklahoma City Thunder's George Hill, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Ball, the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, has enjoyed modest improvement in Year 4 - even while his role has shrunk relative to the rise of teammates Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
The 23-year-old is scoring a career-best 14.2 points per game, largely a product of connecting on 38.5% of his nearly eight nightly 3-point attempts. Ball's added 5.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in his 31.7 minutes per game.
Ball's mixture of youth and promise of continued development could result in a nice payday this summer when he reaches restricted free agency. Entering a bidding war to retain his services might not suit the small-market Pelicans.
Hill is decidedly on the other end of the spectrum. The veteran point man will turn 35 in May and only has a partially guaranteed contract for next season, allowing his team to move on for the modest sum of $1.3 million in dead cap on the books.
Any playoff hopeful acquiring Hill would receive a veteran currently averaging 11.9 points and 3.1 assists in 26.4 minutes per game, and someone who has shot 40.2% on threes over the past six seasons. Hill has also logged 127 postseason appearances in his career.
The 76ers possess one of the more unique backcourt dynamics in the league. The 6-foot-10 Ben Simmons is a lethal transition scorer and on the short list for top wing defenders in the game today, but his limitations as a playmaker in the halfcourt offense - exacerbated by a complete lack of outside shooting touch - require creative scheming to stabilize Philadelphia's offense.
In trading for Ball, Hill, or Raptors guards Kyle Lowry or Norman Powell, the 76ers would have the personnel to complement Simmons' best qualities while mitigating some of his shortcomings.
