Sam Presti is back at it again.
The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired veteran center Al Horford from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for guard Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson, and two draft picks.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Sixers will send a lightly-protected 2025 first-round pick and the No. 34 pick in tonight’s draft. Oklahoma City will also receive the rights to Serbian point guard Vasilije Micic, who is one of Europe’s top guards.
Philadelphia 76ers Send Al Horford to Oklahoma City Thunder
Swap Includes Danny Green, Draft Picks
This is Daryl Morey’s first move since becoming the Sixers’ president of basketball operations. Philadelphia signed Horford to a big four-year, $109 million deal to play alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. However, his experience was not enough, as the Sixers were bounced out of the first round this season. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, but his impact was minimal due to Embiid’s and Simmons’s success down low and on the elbow. This forced Horford to play in the perimeter, which is a weaker part of his game. The Sixers excelled by trading away a big contract without giving up many assets. Horford has three years remaining on his current deal.
Since the Thunder are clearly in a rebuild, it is uncertain if they will keep Horford or not. By receiving the 34th pick in return, the team now has three draft picks in the top 34 tonight. This includes the 25th and 28th pick.
As for the Sixers, they are receiving an experienced guard with championship experience and solid shooting and defense. He has three titles with three different teams (San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Lakers) and played a key part in all of them. Green averaged 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds with the Lakers while helping them win their 17th championship. He has one year remaining on his current two-year, $30 million deal and will become a free agent after this season. In Ferguson’s third season, he averaged 3.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game with the Thunder.
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