Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: G Kemba Walker
Boston Celtics Receive: F/C Al Horford, G/F Kenrich Williams, LAC 2022 1st Round Pick (via OKC)
After three seasons with the Boston Celtics, Al Horford signed a four-year, $109M deal with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2019 offseason. That stint in Philly lasted all of one year, as Horford had one of the worst years of his career, resulting in the 76ers shipping him to the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to the start of the 2020-21 season in exchange for Danny Green.
Early on, Horford was playing really well for OKC, but given all of their young talent and the direction this franchise is heading in, Horford and the Thunder mutually agreed near the midpoint in the season for him to sit the rest of the year to give the younger players on this roster a chance to prove themselves.
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Horford knew that he was not in the Thunder’s long-term plans and as a result, he decided to be a true leader and help aid them in their efforts to better their franchise. Now, with them looking to work out a deal to send Horford somewhere else this offseason, trading him for Kemba Walker is definitely something that seems like it could make sense.
While they would have to pay Al Horford $53.5M through the next two seasons, Boston would be saving themselves about $20M since Walker is owed over $73M through the 2022-23 season. At 35-years-old, Horford may not be the same player that he was earlier in his career with the Hawks, but he can bolster Boston’s frontcourt and do a little bit of everything to help them win games.
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Not to mention, the Celtics would also be getting Kenrich Williams and a first-round pick in next year’s draft. Williams played in 66 games for Oklahoma City this season, averaging 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and shooting 44.4% from three-point range in about 21.6 minutes per game.
Between freeing up some cap space over the next two seasons and adding some extra talent to their roster, this is definitely a trade that has value for the Celtics, but is it a trade that truly makes sense for both Boston and Oklahoma City?
