B/R proposes that the Charlotte Hornets should trade for Al Horford

Bleacher Report proposed a trade for each team heading into the 2020 offseason. The Charlotte Hornets’ trade could have the team taking on a heavy contract.

Heading into the 2020 offseason, the Charlotte Hornets will have a lot of players that they can target. Even though the Hornets cannot finish their regular season, the team still has enough time to review trade prospects.

The Hornets will have a slow offseason, as free agency and the draft will not occur until October. Due to the season being finished in Orlando, Florida, the 2020-21 regular season will not start until December.

As fans wait until the season to be officially over, Bleacher Report started free agency early by proposing trades for all thirty teams.

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When it came to the Hornets’ proposed trade, Bleacher Report had Charlotte sending Terry Rozier and Cody Zeller to the Philadelphia 76ers. In exchange for those two, the Hornets would receive Al Horford, Zhaire Smith, and a 2020 first-round pick.

Bleacher Report started by stating that the Hornets aren’t close to contending with top-level Eastern Conference teams yet. With that said, the article said that the Hornets should look at collecting draft picks, even if it means taking on bad contracts.

At the end of the 2019-20 season, Horford will have three years remaining on his contract, where he’s set to earn $81 million. Bleacher Report labeled Horford’s contract as one of the worst in the NBA.

Even with Horford will be finishing the regular season in Orlando, his team will have the chance to make a run in the playoffs.  In 60 games this season, Horford averaged 12.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Unlike Zeller, Horford is a lot older, but he does have a lot of playoff experience; he’s only missed the playoffs one time. If Horford continues to play, next season will be his fourteenth season.

If the Hornets were to agree to this trade, the team would be ditching Rozier’s two-year $36.8 million dollar contract. Besides adding Horford, the team would be adding Smith, who was a first-round pick in 2018. Smith averaged 1.1 points in the seven games he played in.

Moreover, Bleacher Report stated that Rozier’s contract would offer more flexibility for the 76ers, while also giving them a solid backup point guard. Zeller helps sweeten the deal because of his expiring contract for next year.

If this trade happens, it would establish that Devonte’ Graham is the #1 point guard on the roster, while also providing him with an experienced center. A trade of this magnitude would likely send Malik Monk to the starting lineup.

Trades like these always make Charlotte Hornets fans hesitant, as the team will finally be clearing some bad contracts this offseason. With this trade in mind, is a 2020 first-round pick and a young player worth it, for Al Horford’s monster contract?