Sixers: 3 players to target with the Al Horford trade exception

When the Sixers unloaded Al Horford’s salary to the Oklahoma City Thunder after an underwhelming season in a swap for Danny Green, they acquired an additional under-the-radar asset alongside Green and the now-waived Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier: a $8.2 million traded player exception, or TPE.

The Sixers picked up this financial tool because, when they sent Horford’s mammoth contract out to Oklahoma City, they acquired $8.2 million less in salary than they shipped off in the deal. TPEs last for a calendar year, so the Sixers have the option to keep their flexibility until as late as Dec. 8, 2021, but as the team finalizes their roster for the coming season, it would behoove the front office to pick up a player before training camp so they can become integrated into the team’s system before opening night.

A quick refresher on how TPEs function before taking a look at three rotation-level players that the Sixers might be able to add: a team can absorb up to the amount of salary the TPE contains without having to concern themselves with contract matching — in other words, the Sixers can swap picks (and perhaps a low-value player as well, if they want to keep the number of players under contract constant) for any currently-rostered player making less than $8.2 million.

With the Philadelphia 76ers essentially capped out going forward, as a team operating above the tax with very few tradable contracts for salary matching purposes (Danny Green and Seth Curry are the only players making between $5 and $30 million next season), the Horford TPE is the last option Daryl Morey and the front office have available to upgrade the roster short of a blockbuster Ben Simmons trade. Here are three solid options the team should at least call and inquire about.

Potential Sixers trade targets using TPE: Justin Holiday

Perhaps after watching the Milwaukee Bucks make a massive deal for Jrue Holiday and then win an NBA championship, the Sixers will be inspired to bring in his brother and see if making it past the second round is a family secret.

Joking aside, Justin Holiday — though not nearly as proficient on either end of the court as his younger brother Jrue — could be a dependable 3-and-D wing in the mold of Danny Green. Justin is in his element at both the two and three, much like Green, and could hold down a spot in the rotation.

Offensively, Justin is an excellent catch-and-shoot option capable of attempting rudimentary threes off movement. He isn’t creating any looks for himself (over 97 percent of his 3-pointers last season were assisted) but shot a very respectable 38 percent from downtown on over six attempts per game.

Defensively, he’s simply a solid wing capable of matching up with practically any style of opponent. He’s strong enough to not get bullied down low, even if asked to guard larger threes, and quick enough on his feet to hold his own against the league’s quicker twos.

There are two primary questions with a potential trade for the Sixers, though. First: is adding another player at a fairly deep position worthwhile, especially if Justin’s minutes come at the expense of, say, Furkan Korkmaz or Matisse Thybulle? Second: would a deal be worth the Pacers’ asking price? Justin was a stable rotation piece for a chaotic Pacers team last season, and it’s possible that they won’t be interested in dealing one of last season’s top minute-getters to a conference rival.