If the Philadelphia 76ers opt to trade Al Horford, here’s where they could look
It’s no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers have an unbalanced roster this year. The main reason for it is that general manager Elton Brand decided to sign veteran center Al Horford last offseason. If the Sixers fail in the postseason due to big man’s poor fit with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, then it’s fair to assume the franchise will try to move Horford .
While the idea of returning the amnesty clause is an option, the 76ers should be looking to trade Horford before considering that if that option becomes available. There are at least five teams that could make sense as a potential landing spot and should be willing to give back value in return.
All potential trades in this article have been processed on TradeNBA, so there shouldn’t be any issues financially with these hypothetical deals.
Sixers Al Horford trade destinations: Warriors
Early this month, I hinted in an episode of The Sixer Sense Podcast that the Golden State Warriors could be one potential landing spot for Horford and I still hold to that notion. Horford going to the Warriors could make them a favorite in the Western Conference again.
Horford can stretch the floor enough and be a secondary playmaker next to Draymond Green. Horford can perform dribble handoffs and pick-and-pops/rolls with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He would provide steady defense while unlocking a new aspect of the Warriors offense.
The potential trade that would send Horford to the Warriors is pretty simple.
The Sixers get Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors get Horford along with a 2020 second round pick via the Atlanta Hawks. Depending on your view of Wiggins, this trade could be viewed as a steal or a gross overpay.
Wiggins has been considered a bust despite averaging nearly 20 points per game for his career. He’s not a good outside shooter and not always the most driven player, but the talent is there and he’s shown legit flashes.
Having him as a third or fourth on offense for the 76ers should help him with the burden of expectation. Wiggins is a much better fit offensively and defensively than Horford is and that’s why this could work in Philly’s favor.
Sixers Al Horford trade destinations: Rockets
This is a three-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets. Originally it was going to be just a two-team trade between the Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers. However, I personally didn’t like the players the Sixers could get back from Houston based on the Bleacher Report trade, so expanding it to a three-team trade makes much more sense. Below is the potential trade.
Draft compensation not included in the graphic above.
In this potential three-team trade, the 76ers get Otto Porter Jr. and Ben McLemore, the Rockets get Horford, and the Bulls get Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, a 2020 second round pick via the Atlanta Hawks, and a 2020 second round pick via the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Rockets are experimenting with a super-small lineup this season and if they fail in the playoffs, they could look to add a big man this offseason to help with rebounding and interior defense. Horford is a big man that can stretch the floor for James Harden and Russell Westbrook. He can also play a two-man game with either former MVP as I mentioned he could do the same with Curry and Thompson in the previous slide.
The Bulls new general manager Marc Eversley may be willing to help out his former team. The Bulls get two solid veterans to help guide their young roster and should be able to flip Tucker in another trade pretty easily. Two second round picks for what is essentially a salary dump isn’t bad either.
This makes sense for Philly in the sense that the Porter only has one more year left on his contract, which is a player option and he will probably opt-into that last year. He won’t be a long-term financial burden like Horford would be and Porter is a much better fit as a two-way wing.
Porter struggled with injuries and inconsistent play last season and if he can prove to provide quality play for a contender, it should help him out next time he becomes a free agent. The Sixers also get a quality 3-point shooter in McLemore.
Sixers Al Horford trade destinations: Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers seems like an unlikely destination due to the fact that they are in a rebuild, but there is some logic behind the idea. Right now the Cavaliers have four legit starting big men. Andre Drummond, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and Tristan Thompson. They also have Ante Zizic, but he’s more of a third-string center if anything.
Thompson is set to be a free agent this offseason and Drummond could opt out of the final year of his deal and become one as well. Both centers are in the primes of their career and could look to join a contender at this point.
Both Love and Nance are naturally power forwards, so if both Thompson and Drummond leave in the offseason, the Cavs could be thin at the center position. Love has also made it clear that he not happy on a rebuilding team and Cleveland will probably shop him this offseason as well. Below is a potential trade that could land Horford with the Cavs.
Draft compensation not included in the graphic above.
It’s essentially swapping Horford for Love, plus the rebuilding Cavaliers get 2020 second round pick via the Atlanta Hawks and 2020 second round pick via the New York Knicks, which is more than a fair trade. If anything this trade favors Cleveland in terms of trade value, but the Philadelphia 76ers get a player that fits much better next to their dynamic duo.
Having played next to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the past should help Love transition to the Sixers. Love has proven to be a quality stretch big and more than willing to be a spot-up shooter, although it’s not his best skill. Love’s a monster in the post, while also a quality (and willing) passer and well as one of the better rebounders in the NBA.
While Love is a liability on the defensive end, he’s much more used to guarding perimeter players than Horford is. Love is essentially what the Sixers hoped Horford would become on offense and what Horford has shown to be on defense this season. It’s not the best upgrade, but it’s an upgrade none the less.
On the flip side, the Cavs get a playmaking center that can run the pick-and-roll with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Both young guards have struggled with playmaking so having a big on their roster like Horford would help. The only down part is that like Love, Horford doesn’t fit their longterm plans due to his age, but he’s should be able to excel playing his natural position on a young roster.
Sixers Al Horford trade destinations: Raptors
Despite the Toronto Raptors defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in a last-second miracle last postseason, it doesn’t mean that the Sixers shouldn’t be interested in making a trade with the defending champions.
“He’s also the ideal fit next to Embiid and Simmons with his playmaking, floor spacing, and defense. He could be the veteran the 76ers need to get this roster to an NBA Finals.”
This upcoming offseason, both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka will be hitting free agency. With Pascal Siakam’s contract extension kicking in, along with Fred VanVleet becoming a free agent, the Raptors might be hard-pressed to keep one, if not both centers.
They need a way to get a legit starting level center this offseason if Gasol and Ibaka sign elsewhere. That’s where the 76ers come in and can offer the Raptors a starting level center.
Draft compensation not included in the graphic above.
Trading Al Horford, Zhaire Smith, 2020 first round pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2020 second round pick via Los Angeles Lakers, and a 2022 lottery protected first round pick (if not conveyed, converts into a 2022 second round pick and a 2023 second round pick) seems to be more than fair compensation for Kyle Lowry.
This seems like a major haul for a 34-year-old point guard, but there’s several things that need to be pointed out. Lowry is still a top-10, if not arguably a top-5 point guard in the NBA. He’s also a native of Philly and it seems likely that he would re-sign with the Sixers as a free agent next offseason and probably for a cheaper deal.
He’s also the ideal fit next to Embiid and Simmons with his playmaking, floor spacing, and defense. He could be the veteran the 76ers need to get this roster to an NBA Finals.
Sixers Al Horford trade destinations: Kings
There has been a connection between Horford and the Sacramento Kings since last summer when the Kings were interested in the big man when he was a free agent. I’ve written at least two trades where the Sixers send Horford to Sacramento, however, this hypothetical trade will be different.
In my past hypothetical trades, I had Harrison Barnes as the centerpiece as one trade and Bogdan Bogdanovic the main player in the other. This one will feature Buddy Hield and no it won’t be like the Bleacher Report trade either. Below is one way for the 76ers to land Hield for Horford.
Draft compensation not included in the graphic above.
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This deal is working under the assumption that Furkan Korkmaz‘s contract becomes guaranteed, but the money works based on projections of future contracts. The Sixers get Hield, Richaun Holmes for Horford, Korkmaz, 2020 first round pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder and 2020 second round pick via the New York Knicks.
The 76ers get a quality backup center in Holmes, who Philly foolishly traded two offseasons ago for cash. Hield of course fills the whole as a legit 3-point threat in the starting lineup and fits perfectly next to the Sixers’ star tandem.
The Kings get a sharpshooter in Korkmaz, albeit not on the level of Hield. They also get the veteran center that they wanted last summer to help bring along their young core. Horford fits much better on the Kings’ roster so he should be much more productive as a result. They also get a first round pick and a quality second round pick as well, which is solid return alongside the players they are getting.
Whether or not Horford lands on any of these rosters is yet to be seen, but there is a path for the Philadelphia 76ers to take to send their veteran big man to these teams.