Al Horford has been a consistent performer for the Atlanta Hawks since he was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2007 draft. Over his ten-year career, the former Florida man has been an all-star four times and a member of the All-NBA third team in 2011. He has also established himself as one of the most versatile centers in the league, recently adding a three-point jumper to his repertoire this past season. The 30-year-old is additionally one of the best passing bigs in the league and is exceptional on the defensive end despite sometimes being labeled as “undersized” for the position.
Horford’s free agency will be very interesting as pretty much every team will have a solid amount of cap space due to the massive increase in the cap from last season. Thus, rumors are already linking many teams to his services, including the Lakers, Rockets, Magic, Warriors, and Celtics. He could also be an important chip for teams looking to lure Kevin Durant and prove they are ready to compete right away. For example, the Celtics will have enough cap space to sign two max players without making any roster moves.
Why he may leave…
Naturally, the 6’10” all-star will want to at least listen to offers from such storied franchises as Los Angeles and Boston seeing as he has stayed put in Atlanta his entire career. If the Hawks are not willing to shell up max money for Horford, there will almost surely be another team who will. However, this is looking less and less likely, so teams will have to provide him with a more enticing pitch than the Hawks’ front office. There are going to a be lot of moving parts this offseason, so players like Horford will be interested in looking for a path to a championship.
Why he may stay put…
On the other hand, the Hawks have one thing none of the other teams have- Horford’s bird rights. This means that the organization can sign their guy even if it exceeds the cap. Following the Jeff Teague trade, this would allow for the team to sign a max player in addition to Horford, which is quite a solid offer for the 30-year-old to consider. It’s also likely Wes Wilcox and the front office will offer the full max contract to the star center, and in his exit interview, he made it pretty clear he loves Atlanta and would love to stay on board.