Daryl Morey Has No Regrets About Trading Pick To Move Al Horford Contract

Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey isn’t afraid to look back at past moves he’s made with a critical eye. Next week, Morey’s Sixers could lose their first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft if they have some lottery luck go against them. Still Morey doesn’t regret moving that top-six protected pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder to get off Al Horford’s contract in 2020.

“First off, I feel very good about that trade because it put us in a great spot,” Morey said. “It was before coach [Nick Nurse] was here, but we were the one-seed going into the playoffs. Usually, that gives you a 40-50% chance to make the finals. So I feel good that we got good value out of that trade. Danny Green was great for us. Seth Curry was [acquired in] a different trade. But anyway, I feel good about that.”

If the pick doesn’t convey this year, it will roll over to 2026 with a top-four protection. The same conditions will exist in 2027. If the pick remains unconveyed then, the Sixers will convey a second-round pick to the Thunder in 2027.

Morey is also excited about having re-acquired his team’s second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Philadelphia re-acquired that selection in the deal where they swapped Caleb Martin for Quentin Grimes.

“That’s going to be a tool for us,” Morey said. “We have 64% odds to have a top pick in this draft. That’ll be another tool. If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks. We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season. We have a whole set of younger players … a lot of tools in our arsenal to upgrade the team, whereas most teams that go into the season with the third-best title odds like we did and have a rough year, [they] don’t have much maneuverability. We feel like we have a lot of maneuverability with our assets going forward and the young players coach developed.”