It has taken some time, but Al Horford is finally officially a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On Tuesday, the Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers completed a trade that will see the two veterans swap places.
Green, who was acquired by the Thunder in the trade that saw Dennis Schroder sent to the Los Angeles Lakers, was sent to Philadelphia along with Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier.
In exchange, the Thunder receives Horford and a 2025 protected first-round pick, as well as the draft rights to Theo Maledon (selected with the 34th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft) and Vasilije Micić (selected with the 52nd pick of the 2014 NBA Draft).
The deal was reportedly agreed to on November 18, however, because the Thunder were aggregating Green with other players and trade restrictions in his contract, the sides had to wait until Dec. 8 to make the trade official.
Now, Horford joins George Hill on the rebuilding club as elder statesmen who could either be jettisoned for additional assets or counted on to provide leadership and help the team’s young nucleus continue to develop good habits.
Horford — who played for the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics before signing with the Sixers last summer — just completed the first season of a four-year, $109 million pact. He will earn $27.5 million and $27 million for the 2020-22 seasons, respectively.
After an underwhelming first year in Philadelphia, Horford may be difficult to move. It’s something to keep in mind as predictions are made as to whether he will be in Oklahoma City long-term or not.
Horford is expected to join the team this week and will likely be made available at some point thereafter.