76ers' Al Horford Linked to Detroit Pistons as Potential Trade Target

At the moment, the NBA's moratorium remains in place. Therefore, no signings, releases, or trades are permitted. Eventually, though, the league will declare an offseason when transactions are no longer prohibited. And just like that, Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand could be right back to wheeling and dealing.

Once the 2020 offseason begins, don't be surprised to see a handful of 76ers players tied to trade rumors -- especially ones involving their 33-year-old big man, Al Horford. After signing a four-year deal worth $109 million last offseason, the former Boston Celtics big man has been paired in with almost every Sixers trade rumor created throughout the 2019-2020 season.

By now, it's no secret the Al Horford experiment in Philly hasn't gone as planned. While Horford could very well be considered the best insurance for Joel Embiid, who is often injured -- the Sixers didn't intend to spend over $100 million on a backup center. And on Horford's end, he didn't join the Sixers to have a role coming off the bench.

Things haven't gotten ugly between Horford and the 76ers, but perhaps Philly attempts to move the veteran big man before they do. If that's the case, then the Detroit Pistons could come into the picture as a potential suitor, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

"Horford is still a good NBA player, but he’s 33 years old and just signed a four-year, $109 million contract last summer. At some point, the 76ers will try to trade him."

"Philadelphia needs shooting, and the Pistons have it in Luke Kennard. Maybe Detroit could get multiple picks back if it were willing to give up Kennard, a former lottery pick, in the deal. This doesn’t seem wise from the Pistons’ perspective — the 76ers would not be giving up a lottery pick in return — but multiple first-round picks could move the needle."

Before the 2019-2020 NBA trade deadline, the Sixers have been connected to the Detroit Pistons quite a few times. Sometimes, rumors speculated the 76ers to having an interest in Pistons guard, Langston Galloway.

But other times, the 76ers were rumored to like Luke Kennard as well. As Edwards stated above, "Philadelphia needs shooting, the Pistons have it in Kennard." During Kennard's three NBA seasons, he has averaged 40-percent from three. Had the third-year guard not gotten hurt this season, there could've been a legitimate shot the 76ers would land Kennard before the trade deadline.

However, the Sixers went in a different direction and sent multiple picks to Golden State for Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III. By the time the offseason takes place, though, those two will hit the market for free agency, which could cause the Sixers to start looking for replacements for the 2020-2021 season via the trade market.