Philadelphia 76ers: 3 failures at the NBA Trade Deadline

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Philadelphia 76ers, Al Horford (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Not moving on from Al Horford

I’m sure there will be mixed opinions about this third failure, but Al Horford‘s stock with the Sixers is near an all-time low. Father time is slowly starting to catch up with the veteran big man and him playing out of position is exacerbate his issues even more. On top of that, he’s just not a good fit next to star center Joel Embiid, especially on the offensive end.

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The argument can be made that the 76ers should wait to figure out Horford’s future with the club until after the playoffs, I know because I’ve made that exact argument before. He’s suppose to be an insurance policy for Embiid in case the big man can’t stay healthy. He’s also there to help stop Giannis Antetokounmpo once the playoffs begin.

However, it’s February and Embiid doesn’t look healthy or in-shape. Embiid is playing when there’s no clear need for him to do so with Horford there. Antetokounmpo recently thrashed the combo of Embiid and Horford for 36 points, 20 rebounds and six assists in a 11-point Milwaukee Bucks win.

Horford hasn’t been good fit, his age is starting to slowly creep up on him and he isn’t doing what he was brought in to do. While it might be a good idea to wait and see what he can provide in the playoffs, it would have been hard to fault Brand for pulling the plug at the trade deadline.

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Out of the moves that Brand did make at the trade deadline, none of them were bad. However, there were things that the Philadelphia 76ers could have done even better. Hopefully, the moves that were made will be enough to help Philly fulfill their title aspirations.