Bleacher Report proposes 2 Al Horford trade ideas
Bleacher Report posted one trade idea for every team in the NBA heading into the final month before the March 25 trade deadline. Multiple teams were connected to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Two different teams were presented with ideas to trade for Thunder center Al Horford: the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics.
Horford has revitalized his value since being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Thunder. He is a player who can help a Spurs team fighting for a playoff spot or a Celtics team trying to become a serious contender.
Let’s dive into how the trade ideas might help (or hurt) the teams involved.
Al Horford trade proposal to San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Al Horford, Mike Muscala
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: LaMarcus Aldridge, Trey Lyles, 2021 second-round pick
This is an incredible deal for the Spurs. Horford would be a huge boost over Aldridge, who is no longer the star we have come to enjoy over the last decade. Muscala has been under-the-radar good -- he's shooting excellent, his defense hasn't been abysmal, and he would be useful for the Spurs' depth. The Thunder is where I get hung up on. The main benefit for them is that they'd get out of Horford's salary this offseason, when Aldridge's contract expires. That would be great news. (The other benefit would be that they'd be better at tanking). Lyles would also come off the books after this year, and with power forwards including Darius Bazley, Isaiah Roby and Aleksej Pokusevski needing minutes, there would be no reason to bring him back. It's a salary dump for the Thunder, which I would have said was great early in the season, but now that Horford's market seems to be strong, it doesn't seem necessary. Who says no: Thunder. The Spurs should definitely make the call though, just in case OKC wants to A) get off salary and B) tank better. (For what it's worth, Bleacher Report seems to feel the opposite of me. They were less bullish on Horford-to-the-Spurs and more bullish on Horford-off-the-Thunder.)
George Hill, Al Horford to Boston Celtics
This was also covered in the George Hill B/R trade review. Bleacher Report combined two deals for Hill and Horford that appear to operate separately for salary reasons. Here's how it was framed: Trade One
Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Carsen Edwards, Romeo Langford, Tristan Thompson, 2022 second-round pick (via Orlando; top-55 protection)
Boston Celtics receive: George Hill
Orlando Magic receive: Jeff Teague
Trade Two Oklahoma City Thunder receive: 2021 first-round pick (top-16 protection through 2022; turns into two seconds if not conveyed) Boston Celtics receive: Al Horford This trade would be complex for the Celtics because of the salary cap ramifications. They would be handcuffed if they added Horford to their roster, and they'd likely have to let Marcus Smart walk in free agency. That's the main issue for them, and it's a big one. Hitting the luxury tax for the rest of Horford's contract would get extremely pricey. The ownership group would have to decide if that's worth it. Meanwhile, from the Thunder's vantage point, I'm pretty neutral. Carsen Edwards, 22 and Romeo Langford are young, unproven shooting guards who could use development. Edwards was a sharpshooter in college, hitting almost 37% of his seven 3-point attempts per game, and as a junior he averaged 24.3 points per contest. That hasn't translated to the NBA, where he shoots about 32% from 3 over his career. Langford underwent a wrist surgery in September that has cost him the entirety of his sophomore season thus far. Tristan Thompson has a player option for next year at a reasonable rate of $9.7 million. If he opts in, he could likely be flipped for a second-round pick at some point. That second-round pick would not translate, unless something miraculous happens in Orlando. The first-round pick would be nice, but with some other rumors connecting Hill to receiving that even without Horford attached, I wouldn't want to ship them both out at the same time for just one. Bleacher Report wrote:
"Boston needs to chisel out more space beneath the luxury-tax apron before absorbing Horford into the Gordon Hayward trade exception. The Thunder should have no issue taking on Thompson (2021-22 player option) when they're shipping out a more expensive big and, in the end, nabbing another first-rounder. Romeo Langford is just 21 and another perimeter prospect for them to take for a test drive once he's healthy."
The Magic would just need to maneuver their roster a bit to acquire Teague. They wouldn't lose that second rounder. Who says no: I wouldn't do this if I were the Thunder. I'd also hesitate if I were the Celtics due to finances, but if the ownership group was willing to do it, I'd sign off on it in a heartbeat if I'm Danny Ainge. The Magic wouldn't really lose anything as long as they're willing to create roster space. Any chance of this deal going through would depend on if the Celtics think Horford makes them a title team. What are your thoughts on these two ideas?
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