Philadelphia 76ers: Would anyone actually trade for Al Horford?

The Non-Deals

Alright, let’s get this out of the way right at the top: To trade for Al Horford, the Philadelphia 76ers would need to match his $28 million contract within 15 percent. That means they couldn’t take in more than $32.2 million, or less than $23.8 unless additional cash considerations (contracts) are included.

That excludes pretty much any package centered around a younger playmaker, as it would be all but impossible to put together three, four, five contracts to get a deal done, or for a team like the Boston Celtics – Horford’s likely preferred destination – to get in on the action with a veteran-centric package around players like Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter.

What’s more, it feels almost impossible to imagine any team with a legitimately talented player on a max contract shipping said player out for an elderly-by-NBA-standards center.

I mean think about it, why would a team give up a young, ascending/prime guard like, say, D’Angelo Russell, CJ McCollum, or *gasp* even Andrew Wiggins for a 30-plus-year-old not named LeBron James?

Answer: They wouldn’t.

No, for a deal to get done, the Sixers would need to take back an older player and/or an undesirable contract to free themselves of Horford’s contract – an unfortunate situation for any team in a heated title hunt.

So, are there any deals of that ilk that another team would actually agree to? Hold onto your butts Philadelphia 76ers fans, this isn’t going to be a whole lot of fun.