Three-time All-Star Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. The status of his decision to sign a long-term deal with Atlanta is unknown at the moment. Today, Horford revealed that he will wait until the 2015-16 season is over to discuss a contract extension.
Horford addressed the contract situation with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"As far as the contract stuff, I'm going to wait until the season is over. I'm not going to let that linger and be a distraction. The focus is to be on the Hawks, on our team and getting better. Once the season ends, we'll be able to sit down and talk and figure out all of that."
Horford is the longest tenured Hawk on the team's current roster. He has been with the team since 2007, which was his rookie season where he was drafted number three overall. Horford has been a dominant force with the Hawks, despite suffering two pectoral injuries within the last four seasons. His three All-Star game appearances and career averages of 14.2 PPG and 9.2 RPG speak for his leadership in Atlanta's locker room.
Atlanta's spectacular season in 2014-15 may play a pivotal factor in Horford's decision to remain a Hawk following the upcoming season. The Hawks had their best season ever as they accumulated 60 regular season wins and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The team also racked up a 19-game winning streak during the second half of the season, helping head coach Mike Budenholzer win the NBA Coach of the Year award.
Horford's role at the center position may be changed due to the acquisition of center Tiago Splitter from the San Antonio Spurs. Horford has been playing out of position since his rookie year due to the Hawks' inability to acquire a true center. This will help Horford move to his original power forward position and help Splitter receive the start at center. This move should take some weight off of Horford's shoulders as he won't have to endure the physical grind it can be playing center.
With a healthy Atlanta Hawks team, the team is poised to make another run at the Eastern Conference Finals. Injuries slowed Atlanta down in this year's Conference Finals, which resulted in a 4-0 sweep. The growth of the team's bench is also another positive outlook. Expect Al Horford to continue to thrive under coach Budenholzer's Spurs-like offense in 2015-16, as he plays in the final year of his contract.