Sixers trade Al Horford to OKC, get Danny Green

The Sixers have moved on from Al Horford.

After a tumultuous 2019-20 season, the Philadelphia 76ers and Al Horford are parting ways. The Sixers will send Horford, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Danny Green. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the deal.

This is significant for obvious reasons. While Philadelphia did have to sacrifice assets, only one first-round pick to remove the remaining three years of Horford’s contract is — at first glance — a surprisingly cheap exchange. The Sixers also get Green, a positive-impact player on an expiring $15.3 million contract.

According to Woj, the Sixers will send OKC a lightly-protected first round pick in 2025, as well as the 34th overall pick in tonight’s NBA Draft. Also going to OKC are the rights to Vasilije Micic, one of Europe’s top point guards. With that, the Sixers improve immensely in the short term and gain more financial flexibility in the long term. In addition to Green, Philadelphia receives Terrance Ferguson — a former first-round pick and five-star recruit — to make the salaries work.

This is about as forgiving a trade as Philadelphia was ever going to get. Horford’s contract is one of the worst in basketball, and while the Sixers could feasibly bottom out by the time 2025 strikes, there wasn’t a navigable path to contention with Horford on the roster. The Sixers are built to win now, and risks are required to deliver a championship.

Last season, Green averaged 8.0 points in 24.8 minutes per game, shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep. He started in all 68 regular-season appearances for the championship-winning Lakers, and the year prior, he was the starting two-guard for the championship-winning Raptors.

While some are quick to bemoan Green’s shaky playoff reputation, he’s a good shooter and an excellent wing defender. Philadelphia frees up space in the paint for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, while also grabbing a spot-up shooter who doesn’t hesitate when faced with a clean look.

Green will improve the Sixers on both sides of the ball, and Philadelphia will have his bird rights in 2021 free agency. This is a remarkable first move by Sixers GM Daryl Morey. The tone may change in five years, but in the end, Horford was a roadblock Philadelphia had to clear — almost no matter the cost.