The writing was on the wall for Al Horford’s future with the Atlanta Hawks once the team agreed to terms with Kent Bazemore on Friday night hours after nabbing Dwight Howard. Where, then, will basketball’s preeminent free agent big man end up?
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Horford is expected to choose between the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards by Saturday’s end.
The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards have emerged as the frontrunners to sign free-agent big man Al Horford, and a final decision is expected Saturday night, league sources told The Vertical.
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Horford, 30, pared down the teams on Saturday morning, league sources said.
The Vertical also learned what conventional wisdom already made clear – that the 30 year old has all but crossed returning to Atlanta off his list of free agency options. The Hawks no longer have the cap space to re-sign him to a market-value contract, but are reportedly open to shedding salary with a series of trades if their long-time center wants to remain where his career began.
Horford’s interest in both the Celtics and Wizards makes sense. He’d give Brad Stevens’ team a sense of offensive dynamism from the frontcourt it’s lacked the past two seasons, potentially pushing the Celtics from perennial playoff contenders to competing for the conference crown in the process. A similar line of thinking applies to the Wizards. A three-man interior rotation of Horford, Markieff Morris, and Marcin Gortat would be among the league’s best and possess the flexibility to play multiple styles. But the presence of John Wall and Bradley Beal in the backcourt is surely what appeals to Horford most about playing in the nation’s capital.
It’s safe to say that the No. 3 overall pick of the 2007 draft had a max offer of four years, $113 million in hand after meeting with both teams. Horford’s decision won’t come down to finances, basically, but be about overall fit with the organization he’ll next call employer and the city he’ll next call home.
Either way, a power shift looks sure to take place in the Eastern Conference. Stay tuned.
