A monkey wrench has been thrown into the Philadelphia 76ers’ championship hopes in the form of Joel Embiid’s meniscus injury.
He underwent a procedure on his injured left knee, and as a result, he will reportedly be reevaluated in about four weeks.
It is a major blow to the Sixers’ chances of winning it all, and it could perhaps give their attempts to make a trade before Thursday’s deadline more urgency.
According to Jake Fischer, they’re interested in trading for veteran Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield, per Evan Sidery.
Buddy Hield is a trade target for the Sixers, per @JakeLFischer (https://t.co/ZxSY3tH7W3).
Philadelphia has long desired adding more perimeter shooting onto their roster.
Hield’s diminished role with the Pacers as of late could make this a potential match. pic.twitter.com/xPzEPuY51w
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 6, 2024
Hield, 31, is in his eighth NBA season, and he’s averaging 12.0 points in 25.7 minutes a game while making 38.2 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.
His playing time is the lowest it has been since his second pro season, and he is also in the final year of his contract, which has led to him being mentioned in trade rumors quite a bit for months.
Even before Embiid’s injury, there was a feeling Philly needed one more complementary piece to truly compete for a world championship, especially off the bench.
They’re also merely an average 3-point shooting team, and Hield is about as good a 3-point shooter as the league has had over the last several years, both in terms of accuracy and volume.
The Sixers are 27th in bench points per game and 17th in 3-point shooting percentage, and someone such as Hield would open up the floor more for Embiid, who has been having another incredible season, once he returns from his injury.
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