Last summer, many were left befuddled why the Philadelphia 76ers would sign 33-year-old Al Horford to a $109 million deal. Some felt that it was meant to bring in veteran presence seeing how the team had invested heavily on youth the past years. It turns out that they had other intentions in mind.
According to the Philly Voice, the real reason behind the Horford signing was that the Sixers wanted someone who could defend well against Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. From a perspective, it made a bit of sense. If Philadelphia is to go deep into the NBA playoffs, handling the Bucks at some point is a must. Unfortunately, the Sixers failed to realize that they had other problems that needed attention. One of them was getting a shooter to boost their offense.
Horford does have offense but Philly needed someone who could consistently knock it down from the perimeter or the three-point region. It was not reported but the Sixers may have thought they could get one for lesser money. And as things stand right now, the ploy has backfired.
Making matters even worse is that the Sixers have Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons out due to injuries. Though they may return in time for the postseason, it remains that both will not be at 100 percent health. For now, head coach Brett Brown has no choice but to field in Horford because he is out of options. It is a make-shift recourse but it may not be enough to douse water on belief that the third overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft will be shopped this summer. The only problem is who will want a four-year deal worth $109 milion? Horford is only in the first year of that deal.
Trade rumors suggest that Horford will try to find a partner and aim for a shooter. It is still too early to see who the Sixers could target. There will be a lot of shooters available this summer but the immediate thing for Philly is to rid themselves of Horford's contract.
Before Embiid and Simmons got injured, Horford was coming off the bench. Considering he is a player getting paid handsomely, most feel that the Sixers threw away big money to use that guy as a backup. Things could change moving forward but not many are convinced. Horford will be a curious figure from here on as Philly tries to resolve this hole.
