The Trade

Bucks Receive: Al Horford

76ers Receive: Eric Bledsoe, Ersan Ilyasova, 2020 Second-Round Pick via Indiana

Moving on from a quality player is never an easy thing to do, but it would be in the best interest of the 76ers to move Horford this offseason. He is 34 years old, but still holds quite a bit of trade value. The Bucks have a piece or two that could help improve Philadelphia’s depth.

Why would the 76ers make this move? Bledsoe is a quality point guard, even though he doesn’t get talked about much. He averaged 14.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2019-20 with the Bucks.

Ilyasova is more a throw-in to make salaries match, but he can stretch the floor and would be a quality backup for Joel Embiid. Horford is good, but adding a better guard in Bledsoe makes this deal worth it for the 76ers. Adding an asset with a second-round pick is a nice add-on as well.

For the Bucks, this is exactly the type of move they need to make to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. Horford would be an upgrade over Brook Lopez and he has a proven track record of winning.

Horford’s numbers were low in 2019-20 because his role with the 76ers simply was not consistent. He would return to the starting lineup consistently with the Bucks and would fit nicely in Mike Budenholzer’s offense.

Defensively, the Bucks would be getting an underrated center who can defend the rim and is a proven leader. Al Horford can step out and knock down the three-point shot, is a quality passing big, and can create his own shot.

Both the 76ers and Bucks would improve in the long run with this move. Philadelphia would also cut $3.6 million in cap room with this move. Yet another reason why it would make sense.

Expect to see both of these teams look to be aggressive in the offseason. The Bucks have to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy and the 76ers need to make a move or two to become serious contenders in the East. Both of those goals could be helped forward by pulling the trigger on this deal.