Philadelphia 76ers’ Summer of Blunders

Let’s waste money on Al Horford

Thinking at the time: With the Boston Celtics, Al Horford had been a thorn in Joel Embiid’s side since he began his NBA career. Horford was not big at 6-foot-10, but he was crafty, fairly athletic, and a smart defensive player. Along with Marc Gasol, Horford probably guarded Embiid better than any other center.

One statistic that stood out following the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to Toronto last year was that the Sixers were outscored by 12 points in the mere 96 seconds that Embiid was not in the game. That stat was not an outlier, as the Sixers were crushed in general when ‘The Process’ was not in the lineup.

GM Elton Brand understood that fact, as well as that the Sixers performed their best when they had a ‘big’ lineup against Toronto.

So when the 76ers brain trust got together to strategize about impending free agents, the decision was made to throw a ton of money at Horford and lure him away from Boston.

The thinking was: 1. It damaged a division rival. 2. It solved the problem of the huge dropoff when Embiid was out of the game with a five-time All-Star. 3. The Sixers would be a defensive colossus, with Horford starting at power forward and moving 6-foot-9 Tobias Harris to small forward.

What team could match that frontline? The Sixers would block out the sun defensively with their height.

So Brand pulled the trigger and inked Horford for four years and $96 million (which might go to $109 with incentives).

What could go wrong?

Blunder: Hoo boy, where do we begin? To call it a boneheaded move would be an insult to bones.

The analytics person who said Embiid, Horford and Ben Simmons could all co-exist offensively, sure go sign him, should find the lock on their office door changed and escorted out of the 76ers building by security immediately.

Somehow, although it was in the media, the fact Horford was experiencing some knee problem during last season was apparently not a red flag to the Sixers’ brass, who we assume had some access to Horford’s medical records before signing him. After all, the 76ers medical staff screwing up a diagnosis has never occurred (in the past hour).

Although there was no major injury that Horford suffered this season, it was pretty obvious he did not have the athleticism of the past.

Of course, did you really need a doctor to tell you a post player who would turn 34 before the end of the season and had 12 years of banging other big guys under his belt might start slowing down? And the Sixers have three more years of Horford!

So the Sixers still get killed when Embiid is not in there, have no cap space for future deals and are stuck with a player on the decline with a contract like a millstone around the team’s neck.

Other than that, great deal. Yup, the Sixers again one-upped Danny Ainge, just like when the swindled him out of Markelle Fultz.