Philadelphia 76ers: 5 players the team needs to move on from

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 14: Al Horford #42 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots against the Houston Rockets during the second half of an NBA basketball game at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 14, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) /

1. Al Horford (PF/C)

The 76ers signed former Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks All-Star power forward, Al Horford, to a four-year $109 million contract last offseason. Let’s be straight forward here, Horford looked like a shell of himself the entire season. Whether it was his age kicking in or simply the fit of him and Embiid that held him back, he surely did not live up to that contract. Getting rid of Horford’s insane payroll this offseason needs to be one of the main priorities of the front office.

Al Horford posted a +/- of -10.8 this year, which was his second worst in his career (his worst being -12.3 in his rookie year). The reason I point to the +/- statistic is because Horford was never known as a stat stuffer, but always as a guy who made winning plays. I personally thought at worst Horford could bring an unmatched presence on defense.

I was definitely fooled by Horford’s ability to guard Embiid while he was on the Celtics (mind you this was while Horford was playing at the center position).

Trust me, I know this won’t be the easiest of tasks to complete with Horford’s lack of production as well as the horrendous cap hit. Trading Horford will likely cost the Sixers some of their young talent in Shake Milton or Matisse Thybulle, as well as a first-round pick potentially.

If the 76ers were to opt to hold on to Horford, here is some optimism. Horford could’ve suffered from being coached by Brett Brown, who is now obviously not in the building anymore. A new head coach could give “Big Al” a fresh start in a new play scheme. Another adjustment that could be made is moving Horford to a bench role, even a sixth-man role so that he doesn’t have to share the paint with Embiid as much.

However, finding a way to make Horford “fit” on this team should certainly be a last resort.