76ers flip Al Horford to Thunder in NBA Draft night trade

The Philadelphia 76ers are cutting their losses with Al Horford

Daryl Morey and new 76ers management want nothing to do with Horford’s albatross of a contract. In one of the worst move of Elton Brand’s tenure, the Sixers opted to sign Horford to a team which already featured one of the best big men in the game in Joel Embiid. The idea the two could coexist quickly went out the window, the instead clogged the middle on a team sorely lacking in shooting.

And did we mention they had Ben Simmons? Philadelphia is retooling its roster on the fly to match Doc Rivers’ vision. The first step was getting rid of Horford.

What do the Thunder gain from this?

Sam Presti is hoarding first-round picks, and he gained another on Wednesday night. Horford is a walking contract at this point, even if he’s still a capable rim protector. His position has been deemed otherwise value-less, and until he’s bought out of his current deal he won’t have a home on a contender.

The Thunder don’t mind taking on contracts at this juncture. The rebuild that was supposed to start last season will officially begin in 2021, and Presti knows it. And no team rebuilds and develops talent better than the Thunder. So, with more first-round picks than he needs in tow, Presti doesn’t mind adding Horford as an anchor.

For the 76ers, Green is a capable shooter off the bench, which is exactly what they need. While adding on draft capital isn’t ideal, such a move won’t hurt them until a few years down the road. Philly is in win-now mode, and if they have to forfeit pcks to put together the right team to win a title, so be it.