Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton gave kudos to now-former teammate Buddy Hield as he makes his way to the Philadelphia 76ers on deadline day.
The show is on the road. The Indiana Pacers are sending Buddy Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three future second-round picks in one of the biggest NBA trade deadline deals so far.
Several Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton, also spoke highly of Hield’s impact on the floor. Their comments only give the Sixers an even better feel for what their new deadeye shooter will contribute to their efforts.
Haliburton, McConnell Praise Hield for drawing attention
ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a signature ‘Woj bomb’ regarding the move on X moments ago:
Per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, Haliburton commended Hield for his natural talent in drawing defenses out and forcing them to scramble, saying:
“His spacing even when he’s not making shots — which isn’t often, I mean, he’s one of the best shooters who’s ever touched a basketball — his gravity when he’s on the floor and in our stack actions and in our movement actions, a lot of times, you have to respect what he does even if he’s not making shots in the game,” Haliburton said.
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The Indiana Pacers are trading Buddy Hield to the 76ers for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2024
Huge compliments from Hield’s longtime teammate instill confidence in a 76ers front office looking to remain relevant in the East while reigning MVP Joel Embiid works his way back from his meniscus injury. All eyes will be on Hield to shoulder much of their scoring load alongside Tyrese Maxey in that time frame.
Hield, a career 40.1 percent career three-point shooter, is no doubt one of the best to ever let it fly in the NBA’s rich 76-year history. Haliburton would know better than most just how much of a disruptor Hield is to opposing defenses. He will now be on the receiving end of his marksmanship.
Fellow teammate TJ McConnell also gave props to Hield, saying “even if he’s not shooting the ball. The attention he brings — and they can get messed up on defense — he’s the best in the league at it. We love having him out there.”
It seems the 76ers can count themselves lucky that they’ve obtained another scorer capable of going off on any given night, given his former teammates’ accolades.