1) Chicago Bulls trade targets to salary match with OPJ: Al Horford
The Bulls could really use a stout veteran addition to the frontcourt rotation to add more stability to the mix. They seemingly tried to do that last offseason with the free agent signing of the former Indiana Pacers veteran forward Thaddeus Young. But former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen didn’t utilize Young in the best fashion possible, trying to almost completely change the style of his offensive game.
But now with Boylen unseated in favor of the former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan (and with all of the seemingly positive front office and other coaching staff changes), landing a piece like the Sixers veteran power forward/center Al Horford could be a better move. Horford does carry a sizable price tag, but the Bulls might be able to take advantage of the Sixers selling low on him.
The Sixers themselves are going through a lot of organizational changes this offseason, and Horford might be on his way out before too long. If the Bulls do try and go after him, they would be getting a veteran big man that is due around $27 million on average per year through the last three season of his current contract.
Horford played in 67 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season with the Sixers (all but six of which he started in). And he averaged 11.9 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks. Horford shot 45.0 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.3 percent from the free-throw line. The per game stats and efficiency that Horford provided for the Sixers last season wasn’t up to his usual standard.