OKC Thunder: 3 top priorities for team this offseason
By Mark Nilon
OKC Thunder priority No. 2) Find a taker for Al Horford
When the OKC Thunder landed Al Horford last offseason in the Danny Green deal to the 76ers, it was well known that the veteran was not meant to have a long-term stay in the Sooner State.
Unfortunately, due to the massive four-year, $109 million payday attached to the 34-year-old big man, the act of trading him has proven to be a rather difficult task to accomplish, as we saw the Thunder’s front office cast lines out during this past March’s trade season/ deadline and, as you may be able to tell, no bites were had.
Because of this, finding a taker for Horford will now be a task meant for the summer which, in turn, makes it onto our list as being one of OKC’s top offseason priorities.
Frankly, we’re sure there are a myriad of teams that could stand to benefit from acquiring the 5x All-Star, and we’ve even gone about and listed a few over the last couple of months.
Al Horford proved he still has what it takes to be a quality starting big in this league, as he was one of the best players on Oklahoma City this season and, during the 28 game span that he suited up for (OKC shut him down after failing to find a trade partner), he, along with Gilgeous-Alexander, had them knocking on the door of a play-in tournament seed out west.
In 27.9 minutes a night, the veteran center posted averages of 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and just shy of a block per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent shooting from deep.
Best served on a team looking to win-now rather than on one in the midst of a rebuild, Horford would be a great addition to numerous teams heading into next season.
For the Thunder, they just need to figure out a way to get him onto one of these teams.