Yeah, we basically either gave up Sengun or the two 1sts OKC got in return. Kemba was also bought out for ~$50M, so if we keep Al for one year, we only save like $8.5M, and if we keep Al for two years, we actually pay more than Kemba's buy-out. Yes, we get a year or two of service from Al, but this wasn't as much as a slam dunk as people are making it out to be.
Kemba is a legit 3rd scorer/star type when relatively healthy. I hate that we need to root against him just so we can feel like we didn't get ripped off. Kemba is such a great person.
You are leaving out that we got Moses Brown who we then traded for Josh Richardson. So if you want to do proper accounting, we got Al Horford and Josh Richardson for Kemba and the 1st (that became two firsts for OKC). Plus there was some second round pick swaps that will probably end up favoring Boston, but it is second round picks so no big deal.
When we had Moses Brown, I was excited about that. People seemed to treat him as a worthless throw in and only focused on the pick we gave up. That worthless throw in then became Josh Richardson and people still seem to discount that. Moses Brown was value and Josh Richardson is value. That is what we got for the first round pick.
You can debate Kemba vs. Horford, that is fair, but we did not give up a first just to dump Kemba. That debate would be the first vs. Josh Richardson. I am pretty happy with getting Josh Richardson for the 16th Pick.
Reports say that Dallas saw Brown as a negative. They wanted to do a pure salary dump, but Brad insisted that Dallas take back Brown’s contract.
I am not sure it really matters why Dallas did this but I don't buy the premise that Dallas was forced to take Brown. If he was a negative, they could have cut him. His contract was only partially guaranteed ($500,000). Instead, they kept him, played him in every preseason game, and he is on the opening day roster.
But regardless of why Dallas did the trade the bottom line does not change. The "Horford-Walker" trade resulted in the following:
Boston got:
Horford
Richardson
Future 2nd (2023)
Boston gave:
Walker
Pick #16
Future 2nd (2025)
We then extended Richardson for one additional year at $12.2M, essentially spending the one year of savings we got on the swap of the big contracts (if it was a dump for Dallas, Boston certainly saw it differently). It is very simple dot connecting. We got Horford for Kemba and we got Richardson for the first round pick. Dallas got a young, big, athletic prospect who made the team, for Richardson.
That is why I say it is fair to debate Horford vs. Walker. I like the trade because I think we needed a big way more than we needed a shoot first, oft-injured PG but we still have to see what we are going to get out of Al. The pick got us Josh Richardson though. That is plain and simple, no matter what Dallas' reasons may have been. We have to see what Richardson can do but I believe he is going to be a useful pick up.