The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that is looking to get back on track following a tough 2019-20 season on the floor. The team struggled on the offensive end due to an awkward fit on their roster around stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
The reason the Sixers are an awkward fit is due to the fact that they gave out big contracts to players who do not quite fit what they want to do on the offensive end. One of those big contracts is Al Horford who signed a 4-year $109 million deal in the 2019 offseason and the fit on the offensive end was atrocious at times.
For Philadelphia to move forward on the court, they will need to move him and his contract for a better fit and there seems to be one team who is willing to take on deals right now.
SNY’s Ian Begley is reporting that the New York Knicks are willing to take on bad contracts right now in order to acquire an asset. Begley writes:
The Knicks would presumably acquire another draft pick and young player in this kind of trade. New York has the No. 8, No. 27 and No. 38 picks in the draft.
The idea of taking a bad contract into cap space could be one of several avenues the Knicks are considering this offseason. Depending on what they decide to do with the contract options for Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson and Reggie Bullock, New York could have more than $60 million in cap room in the offseason.
The Knicks, who told teams recently they’d be open to taking on a bad contract, have not made decisions on any players with options yet.
At the moment, teams are waiting to hear the final salary cap numbers for the 2020-21 season after the league took a hit financially, but once that gets straightened out, teams will have a better idea of what to do in the offseason.
It would take having to give up a young player like Matisse Thybulle or Shake Milton or maybe even their draft pick, but if the Knicks are willing to take on a bad deal like Horford’s, it might be worth giving up an asset to bring in a better fit. It’s not like New York’s roster is littered with desirable players, but a 3-team trade could be possibly worked out in order for the Sixers to get what they need. [lawrence-related id=38644,38641,38638]