Weeks after the 2020 February NBA trade deadline, rumors have started to circulate around veteran center Al Horford and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers . With his failure to live up to expectations from the massive contract he signed in the 2019 NBA free agency, multiple reports suggested that the Sixers might explore trading Horford in the 2020 NBA offseason. Though the 2019-20 season is still far from over, Horford has already been linked to several teams who could be interested in acquiring him from the Sixers this summer, including the Washington Wizards.
In a recent article, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports included the Wizards on the list of landing spots that make sense for Horford in the 2020 offseason. In the proposed trade deal, the Wizards would be sending a trade package including John Wall and Moritz Wagner to the Sixers in exchange for Horford and Mike Scott. The deal works on ESPN ‘s NBA Trade Machine.
The suggested trade makes a lot of sense for the Wizards for plenty of reasons. Aside from getting rid of Wall’s contract, they would be acquiring a floor-spacing big man in Horford who could complement Bradley Beal. With Wall gone, the Wizards would have opportunity to make Beal the new face of the franchise. Beal may have just signed a contract extension with the Wizards, but to keep him happy in Washington, they should highly prioritize surrounding him with players that could boost their chances of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship title.
If the trade becomes a reality, Quinn believes that it would not only be beneficial for the Wizards but also for the Sixers.
“The 76ers would essentially take on that extra money to get two cost-controlled seasons of Wagner, who, before his mid-season ankle injury, was shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the arc and was averaging 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per 36 minutes. His numbers have since regressed, though whether that was due to injury or skill cannot be said. Anything Wall would provide in this scenario is likely a bonus, though for what it’s worth, at his peak he was arguably the best generator of 3-point attempts for teammates in the NBA. His own shooting leaves much to be desired, but in the right setting, Wall is a spacing booster.”
Wall may still be recovering from an injury, but when he is healthy, he is undeniably a better fit with Sixers’ rising superstars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons than Horford is. Once he is 100 percent healthy and regains his All-Star form, the Sixers could have their own “Big Three” in the 2020-21 NBA season. Though he hasn’t demanded a trade from Washington, Wall would most likely love to play for a legitimate title contender like the Sixers rather than staying on a mediocre team.