Former Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford sounds ready to be one of the biggest names of the 2016 NBA free agency period.
It’s funny, really, because the period features major names such as Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, DeMar DeRozan and Rajon Rondo, among many others.
Yet Horford deserves every bit of attention because he’s one of the most reliable players in the league, a reputaiton he’s earned after nine seasons with the Hawks. Now 30 years old, Horford reinforced this reputation with averages of 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last season.
According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers stand as the main teams to watch this summer:
Free Agency Rumble: Orlando, Detroit and the Lakers are all among the teams that intend to make a run at Atlanta big man Al Horford.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 22, 2016
Two of the three make perfect sense.
But first, the oddball. Detroit could use the help down low, especially on the defensive end of the court and Horford is absolutely a Stan Van Gundy guy. But bringing on the veteran would make it harder for Andre Drummond to get the necessary reps and develop as quickly as possible.
Orlando and Los Angeles make more sense. The former has Nikola Vucevic starting at center, but the front office has gone more toward a win-now approach as of late. In that regard, Horford is a major upgrade. It’s the same story for the Lakers, a team finding itself free of Kobe Bryant and with some quality young pieces in place—but not at center, where journeyman Roy Hibbert holds down the fort.
One can’t count out the Hawks in all of this either, unlikely though it seems. No matter where Horford ends up, it’s clear he’ll get whatever cash he desires because teams have to spend this summer and it appears a slight bidding war has already started.
Horford might fly under the radar in terms of attention from fans in a star-studded free-agency period, but teams in need have already dialed in on his trip to market.
