Sixers' Danny Green Loves Being Teammates With George Hill Again

Danny Green didn't spend a lot of time as George Hill's teammate back when he was with the San Antonio Spurs. During the short time they were playing alongside each other, though, they formed a solid bond.

Green and Hill remained close even when Green was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2018. As he bounced around from Toronto to Los Angeles, Green and Hill nearly became teammates once again as they both landed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason via trade.

However, the rebuilding Thunder didn't intend to keep both veterans on board long-term. Danny Green didn't suit up for a single practice with the Thunder in training camp. Instead, they traded the veteran guard to the Philadelphia 76ers just hours before the 2020 NBA Draft got started.

Green didn't complain, but he was slightly disappointed since he looked forward to working with Hill once again. A few months later, they actually got their wish to play together again as Hill was also traded to the Sixers on the day of the NBA trade deadline. 

“It only took about four months for it to happen, but he’s here now,” Green said in March. “He’s a hell of a player, even better person. He can shoot the ball. We need another point guard. Another guy that can run the team, play his role well, and is a selfless player. He’s gonna fit right in. I think he’s gonna do great for us and give us another veteran leadership type of guard and a floor spacer.”

Although it took almost a month for Hill to heal up from his thumb injury and debut for the 76ers, the veteran point guard finally suited up and played in Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors, and Green is enjoying having Hill back on his side once again for the rest of the season. 

"I love it -- I love that he's here," Green said on Wednesday. "We got another vet, and he's been around for a while. He knows a lot of the principles that I’ve grown up with playing in the Spurs system. So, we know about doing things the right way, and he could bring a lot of that here.”

Hill's not one-hundred percent back in basketball shape and is still learning his role in the new system, but after seeing him pick up 17 minutes off the bench on Monday night, Green likes what he saw out of the new Sixer. 

“He looked sharp," Green explained. "He looked crisp for a guy that hasn’t played in three months. I was impressed and proud of him." As Hill continues to get back into shape and build up chemistry with his new teammates, he's only going to get better as time goes on. And the Sixers hope that by the time playoffs roll around, he'll be a crucial member of the team's key rotation.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.