If Kyrie Irving decides to leave Boston this summer, then trading Al Horford may be the best bet for the Celtics. A deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder would be the best-case scenario for both parties.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to return to the top of the NBA’s Western Conference next season. In order to do so, they will need to capitalize on any opportunity to improve the team’s roster.
Insert the Kyrie Irving debacle.
On Oct. 5, 2018 Kyrie Irving sat in front of a host of Boston Celtics season ticket holders and professed, “If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here next year.”
That day seems more like seven years ago, rather than seven months.
After an underperforming season that included questions about his leadership and attitude, speculation is flying on where Irving will play in the 2019-20 NBA season. Will he join LeBron James in Los Angeles? Will he and Kevin Durant team up at Madison Square Garden? Maybe Irving stays true to his promise and re-signs in Boston?
Nobody knows what will happen come July 1. However, if Danny Ainge and the Celtics front office believe that Irving is leaving, then they will most certainly want a contingency plan in place, and Al Horford may be at the center of it.
Horford has a player option for the 2019-20 season with the Celtics. If he chooses to opt in to the final year of his deal, Boston will owe the 33-year-old big man $30.1 million. That’s a huge chunk of cash for a player who would no longer match the timeline of his team.
At the same time, general manager Sam Presti and the Thunder will be scouring the trade market, looking to find someone to pair with Russell Westbrook and Paul George — both in the primes of their careers — to make a push for the NBA Finals before both players get too old.
A Horford trade to the Thunder not only seems like it would be a home run, but also seems logical for both sides.