Trade Proposal: Lee, Hunter for Horford, Scott

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016 at 11:45 PM EST

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Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford posting up New York Knicks power forward/center Kristaps Porziņģis
Al Horford posting up New York Knicks power forward/center Kristaps Porziņģis (Getty Images)

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher 

With the Atlanta Hawks willing to accept a trade for center Al Horford, we’ll take a look at a trade between the Hawks and the Boston Celtics that’ll make both parties happy. The Hawks have made it no secret that they’ll be willing to trade the soon-to-be free agent, along with Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver.

This past summer, negotiations between Horford and the Hawks broke down. He said at that time, he wanted to play out the season, before having to start up talks again before becoming a free agent in July.

Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford posting up New York Knicks power forward/center Kristaps Porziņģis
Al Horford posting up New York Knicks power forward/center Kristaps Porziņģis (Getty Images)

In this proposed trade, the Celtics will receive Horford and Mike Scott. In exchange for those two, the Hawks will receive David Lee and R.J. Hunter.

The trade satisfied the provisions of the NBA’s CBA. The Hawks had to invoke the 50% trade rule for the trade to work as they are already over the cap. They’re also trading out less than $19.6 million in salaries, but couldn’t receive more than 150% plus $100,000 or no more than $5 million in additional salaries. Whichever one was lesser of the given salary out of the trade to be accepted.

Also, the Celtics met the requirements of the hard cap rules of staying under the tax threshold plus $4 million for adjusted post-trade team salary.

Lee, who also a soon-to-be free agent, like Horford, is averaging 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 15.7 minutes. He’s been on the trade block in the past several weeks as they look to get something for him instead of buying out his contract and getting nothing for him in the end.

The Hawks could use the money from either keeping Lee, or eventually buying out his contract, to sign a free agent in July.

Hunter, who was the team’s first-round draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, has four-years left on his contract. He’s averaging 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game in 10.3 minutes.

Horford would give the Celtics a center, who they can build around with their already young pieces. Right now, Jared Sullinger is the Celtics center.

Should this trade be made, they’ll put Horford as the center moving forward. Also, it’ll give president of basketball operations Danny Ainge an opportunity to re-sign him before the summer months.

Horford is averaging 1.5 2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 31.6 minutes. Scott is averaging 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 14.4 minutes.

Scott has a year left on his contract.