Philadelphia 76ers: Daryl Morey is on the board with Al Horford trade
By Duncan Smith
The Philadelphia 76ers started off NBA draft night by doing the unthinkable: trading Al Horford’s massive contract. Daryl Morey is officially on the board.
It didn’t take new Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey long to work his magic. On NBA draft night, he pulled off the unthinkable and traded Al Horford’s gargantuan contract to the OKC Thunder, along with a first and second-round draft pick, in exchange for Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson.
Horford was signed for a mint last offseason by the Sixers and still had a massive three years and $81 million left on his deal. He underperformed and was simply never able to get into a successful rhythm with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. He made too much to come off the bench, but he didn’t fit with the starters, and then head coach Brett Brown simply didn’t have the capacity to figure out how to use everybody properly.
Maybe there simply wasn’t a way to make everybody fit, but the Sixers have new life now that Horford is on his way to Oklahoma City.
This contract was considered one of the worst in the NBA and deemed virtually unmovable, but it turns out that’s not a thing after all when it comes to Daryl Morey.
The Sixers will get a sharpshooter with NBA championship pedigree in Danny Green (he’s won titles with the San Antonio Spurs, the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers), and an exciting young athlete in the form of Terrance Ferguson.
The Thunder will add to their already spectacular draft asset war-chest with the 34th pick in Wednesday night’s draft and a lightly-protected 2025 first-round pick, and Horford could be a valuable veteran for what is certain to be a rebuild via youth movement. It’s also possible that in a brand new environment, Horford may thrive and rehabilitate his value ahead of the trade deadline.
At a glance, this appears to be a win-win trade for the two master deal-makers in Daryl Morey and Thunder general manager Sam Presti.