The Philadelphia 76ers made a big move Thursday afternoon, just hours before the 3 p.m. trade deadline, but it wasn’t the one many were expecting.
The current top seed in the Eastern Conference acquired journeyman point guard George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a three-team blockbuster, also landing Ignas Brazdeikis from the New York Knicks to send shockwaves throughout Philly nation. In the deal, the Sixers moved center Tony Bradley and two future second-round picks to the Thunder, while sending Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier, and a second-round pick to New York.
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As expected, basketball fans quickly took to Twitter to voice their reaction to the trade, whether in approval, rage, or shock.
Some Sixers Fans Loved the Move, While Others Didn’t
GettyGeorge Hill during a January game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Though there had been inklings of a Hill departure from OKC, but bigger names like Kyle Lowry, Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, and Aaron Gordon being on the trade market garnered much of the headlines going into Thursday’s deadline. When the likes of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic dropped the doozy of the Sixers picking up Hill, social media lit up.
Hill turns 35 in May, so I guess y’all want that 35 year old instead 😭
— J0RD3n. (@J_Dvyne) March 25, 2021
Brooklyn is going to destroy us
— Malik Applewhite (@MalikApplewhite) March 26, 2021
Plenty of folks welcomed the move though, citing Hill’s sharpshooting, leadership, and experience as reasons to celebrate the move.
Welcome to Philly! pic.twitter.com/AUpkNc4VHG
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhiIIy) March 26, 2021
Philly doesn’t need a starting guard, they need a good backup which they just got
— Iroghro (@iroghro) March 25, 2021
Of course, much of the post-trade Twitter analysis still came back to Lowry.
NBA Followers Laugh, Cry in Response to Lowry Going Nowhere
GettyToronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry during a February game against the Boston Celtics.
For much of Thursday, it appeared that the Sixers were one of, if not the frontrunner to land the services of the six-time All-Star in Lowry. So when it was announced that it would be Hill relocating to Philadelphia and not Lowry (a native of the City of Brotherly Love), Twitter-users continued to have a field day.
Philly fans realizing they not getting lowry pic.twitter.com/PApo8bOIBI
— Hassan🃏 (@KingHassan__) March 25, 2021
K-Low like… pic.twitter.com/oeWQzt9vfK
— The Jump on ESPN (@NBATheJump) March 25, 2021
They thought they were getting Lowry lmao pic.twitter.com/pTsms9DWHA
— Different Animal, Same Beast (@I_M_12) March 25, 2021
Things were even worse (or better for some), when reports just hours before the Sixers acquired Hill pointed to a Lowry deal being all but done with.
Hearing the Sixers are making a late push here for Lowry. ‘On the 1-yard line’ …
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 25, 2021
Well let's hope they are the Seahawks.
— The Kid (@creosports) March 25, 2021
Meanwhile, though the 2020-2021 season may be a lost cause for the Raptors, some fans north of the border celebrated the move, or lack thereof.
Raptors fans on Twitter today: pic.twitter.com/9TsJhQMmtX
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 25, 2021
He’s gonna be boxing out Giannis’s kid when he’s 50
— Spencer Wilimek (@spencerwilimek) March 25, 2021
Today was a crazy day but the love I got from everyone has been amazing thank you all for making it known I’m loved and for all the birthday wishes !!!#ageless😂😂 https://t.co/6M0rcoPqfd
— Kyle Lowry (@Klow7) March 26, 2021
Lowry, who turned 35 on Thursday, appears to be grateful to be staying put in Toronto, for now.
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