NBA Rumors: Sixers Should Keep Al Horford In Starting Lineup To ‘Raise His Trade Value,’ Per ‘SB Nation’
In the past months, rumors have been swirling around veteran center Al Horford and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers. With his inability to live up to expectations from the massive contract he signed last summer, there is speculation that the Sixers may consider parting ways with Horford after the 2019-20 NBA season. However, with his current performance, the Sixers may be needing to sacrifice a young player or a future draft pick to find a team willing to absorb Horford’s lucrative contract in the 2020 offseason.
According to Andrew Fakaveh of SB Nation’s Liberty Ballers, if the Sixers are serious about trading Horford this summer, they should use the remaining games of the 2019-20 season to “raise his trade value.” Instead of using him as the primary backup center, Fakaveh believes that Sixers Head Coach Brett Brown should bring Horford back to the starting lineup and play him alongside Joel Embiid.
“Horford’s skills fall in the grey area, as a glue guy on a championship-contending team. If not to allow him to live up to his contract, then to raise his trade value, keeping him in the starting lineup makes sense. Staggering him and Embiid does not necessarily mean Horford must play the center position. Using Horford at the four position makes the most sense, especially on the defensive end. Allowing 61 percent shooting at the rim on 6.3 attempts, Horford is far from the elite rim protector he once was, who once held opponents to a league-low 48.4 percent shooting on 5.4 attempts in 2013-14.”
Bringing Horford back to the starting lineup would be a risky move for the Sixers. If Horford continues to struggle to coexist with Embiid in the frontcourt, it would greatly affect the Sixers’ performance and decrease their chances of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. However, Fakaveh thinks that the Sixers need to take a gamble if they want to get something in return for Horford in the summer of 2020.
At 33, no one can deny that Horford is already on the downside of his NBA career. However, though his first year with the Sixers is a huge disappointment, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the same thing would happen when he starts playing for another team. As of now, Horford needs an NBA team that fits his game and could maximize his potential on both ends of the floor. If he manages to bring back his old self at the end of the season, Horford will likely become one of the most coveted players in the trade market this summer.
