Report: George Hill To Return To Milwaukee

In a surprising move that few of us would have expected, veteran point guard George Hill is reported to be en route to a reunion with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The route Hill takes to get back to Milwaukee is a lengthy one, starting back in 2018. Originally acquired in a trade with Cleveland, Hill played out the remainder of the 2018-19 season with the Bucks and was a steady hand in the backcourt. His final year of his contract was mostly non-guaranteed, so the Bucks waived him, only to re-sign him a few days later. He was again a reliable presence for the team, even helping lead the wildcat strike in the bubble, but his salary was necessary to include (with Eric Bledsoe) in the Jrue Holiday trade.

So off Hill went to New Orleans, only to be quickly re-routed to Oklahoma City. Hill toiled away with the cellar-dwelling Thunder for a bit, and eventually got moved to the Sixers in a deal that many thought would help get Philly over the hump. It didn’t, and they didn’t, and all of a sudden Hill is expected to be waived by Philadelphia and, apparently, intends to return to the Bucks. At least one former/future teammate of George’s is excited about it:

It’s not yet clear what type of deal Hill will get from the Bucks, presuming he clears waivers (which almost always happens in the NBA). The only option Jon Horst has is a veteran’s minimum deal or part of the taxpayer MLE. Hill is now 35 years old, has historically missed a number of games each and every season he plays (only played in 30 games total with the Thunder/76ers last season), and didn’t have the outsized impact last year that he did previously with the Bucks.

Still, the Bucks are returning a capable ball-handler who can slot in at either guard spot in a pinch, can hit outside shots at a high rate, knows the Bucks’ system and players, and generally performs well under pressure. It may not be a splashy move in August, but it’s the sort of move that makes everyone a bit more comfortable in April, May, and (hopefully) June. There was a fair amount of drama surrounding Hill’s departure from the team but, at this stage, it seems that all parties are either over it or there never was as much as appeared to us on the outside.

We will update this post as more information becomes available. Until then, welcome back, George!