NBA Trade Rumors: Sixers Could Swap Al Horford For Harrison Barnes, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
In the past months, rumors have been continuously swirling around veteran center Al Horford and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers. With his inability to make himself fit in coach Brett Brown’s system and co-exist with Joel Embiid in their frontcourt, multiple signs are pointing to the Sixers moving Horford in the 2020 NBA offseason. However, based on his current performance, the Sixers should be open to the possibility of accepting another bad contract in the potential deal involving Horford.
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, one of the potential trade partners for the Sixers this summer is the Sacramento Kings.
“Horford’s contract won’t be easy to offload, however, with three years and $81 million remaining after this season. The Sixers will likely have to take back some bad money, as well. That’s where Barnes makes sense. The 27-year-old forward will have three years and $60.9 million left on his contract, a lower number than Horford but still a higher deal than his production (14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.6 steals in 34.9 minutes per game) would warrant.”
In the proposed trade by Bleacher Report, the Sixers and the Kings would be engaging in a deal that would send Horford and a 2021 second-round pick to Sacramento in exchange for Harrison Barnes. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine. If the trade becomes a reality, it would help both teams in filling needs to improve their rosters.
The potential deal would enable the Sixers to acquire an established veteran with championship experience in Barnes, who could be a better fit alongside franchise cornerstones Ben Simmons and Embiid. With the years he spent with the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in Golden State, Barnes has learned how to efficiently co-exist with superstars in the league. Barnes isn’t expected to have a hard time sharing the Sixers’ frontcourt with Tobias Harris, as both of them are flexible enough to play the small forward and power forward positions.
Meanwhile, some people may think that trading Barnes for an aging big man whose contract runs through 2023 would be a foolish move for the Kings. At 33, Horford clearly doesn’t fit the timeline of the Kings’ young core of De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Buddy Hield. However, as revealed by Swartz, the Kings actually tried to bring Horford to Sacramento last summer before he agreed to sign with the Sixers.
Now that he’s expected to be available on the trade market, it’s possible for the Kings to consider adding him to their roster this offseason. Horford won’t make the Kings an instant title contender in the Western Conference, but Swartz believes that he could at least help them end their longtime playoff drought.
