OKC Thunder: 3 Trades To Acquire Al Horford

Trade No. 2

In the second scenario, the Thunder exchange Enes Kanter and Mitch McGary for two-plus months of Al Horford in hopes that he is enough to push them over the edge to win a title.

Kanter has performed very well after signing a max-level contract over the offseason. In just 20 minutes per game, Kanter is nearly averaging a double-double while shooting a high percentage and having one of the best PER’s in the league.

While the Hawks are losing Horford, they get a center to slide into his place next to Paul Millsap. Kanter would fill the biggest void with the Hawks’ roster: rebounding.

Going into the All-Star break, Atlanta was the third-worst rebounding team in the NBA, pulling down just 41.2 per game. Adding a 7-footer in Kanter to the starting lineup would be a huge boost to these numbers, and would help them close out a lot of close games.

The Hawks are also the worst offensive rebounding team in the league, which could be Kanter’s greatest contribution to the team. Kanter is tied for seventh in offensive rebounds this season, while Horford is 39th at 1.9 per game. If Kanter was able to receive starter’s minutes, his numbers would likely increase.

McGary has never been able to get consistent minutes in OKC due to injuries and a logjam of players in the frontcourt. Atlanta would have the option of trying to develop McGary or trying to add him to another trade.

Justin Holiday would have to be thrown into this deal to make the salaries work for both sides, but he could contribute to the Thunder if Donovan surrounded him with the right players.

OKC could also throw some draft picks at Atlanta to make this trade more appealing if the Hawks don’t think this is enough.

Next: Deal No. 3