OKC Thunder: Brooklyn could be a prime trade partner for Al Horford

With their obvious need for bolstering in the frontcourt, could the Brooklyn Nets be a realistic landing spot for OKC Thunder center Al Horford?

Despite our pleas for the OKC Thunder to get involved in a multitude of hypothetical trade packages involving James Harden, Sam Presti and co. decided to stand pat and let events unfold on their own.

In the end, the team most often rumored to be the most likely landing spot for the superstar wound up landing him in a blockbuster deal, as the Brooklyn Nets shipped off a bevy of assets to acquire the guard.

The nitty-gritty aspects of the four-team trade went down as follows:

Perhaps the biggest loss for the Nets in this whole ordeal was the inclusion of big man Jarrett Allen heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 22-year-old was finding himself having a solid year manning down the pivot and taking command of the defensive unit for Brooklyn, averaging 11.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while boasting a defensive rating of 105.

With him gone, the only real option down low for the franchise is DeAndre Jordan who has lost more than a step since his All-Star days of old, averaging just 4.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.

It’s clear that this team is in “championship or bust” mode after the establishment of their new big-3 and, if they wish to better their chances at attaining that highly-coveted Larry O’Brien trophy, they will likely want to make moves to make up for the losses they sustained by executing the Harden deal.

While there are now quite a few areas the team must try and address, perhaps the most pressing of them all is at the center position.

Should General Manager Sean Marks opt to go this route and bolster their big man bunch, they may find themselves being an ideal suitor for OKC Thunder center, Al Horford.

Now in his 14th season in the league, the 34-year-old finds himself serving as a veteran mentor for this young Oklahoma City squad. Through nine games played, Horford is posting 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and just shy of a block per outing.

Shooting 42 percent shooting from the floor and 32 percent shooting from deep while holding a 109 defensive rating, during the early portion of this season Horford has made it apparent that he can still provide quality minutes for a ball club and, considering how desperate they appear to be for added firepower at the five, the Nets could stand to reap the benefits.

A 5x All-Star, Al Horford boasts career averages of 13.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 52 percent shooting from the floor and 36 percent shooting from deep. He has seen postseason action in 12 of his 14 years in the league and has seen deep runs in eight of them, including three Conference Finals appearances.

If it wasn’t apparent when they signed both Durant and Irving last offseason, now with Harden Brooklyn is all in on winning an NBA championship. However, in the process, they lost some of that much-needed depth that is generally attached to championship teams.

Because of this, we believe that a trade for Al Horford could be both realistic and beneficial for this title-contending team.