Al Horford is one of a few marquee free agents in the upcoming NBA offseason who could possibly change teams for the first time in their respective careers (see: Durant, Kevin). His Atlanta Hawks have now been swept by the Cavaliers in two straight postseasons, and their offseason figures to be filled with tough questions about the ceiling of this roster, of which Horford is a core component. But if the Hawks want to keep him and pay him what he’s worth (and he is worth a max contract), it seems like Horford wouldn’t take much convincing to stay in Atlanta:
“I’ve set up here [in Atlanta] with my family. We all live here. We live here in the summer. We live here year-round. I’m very grateful for all the people here. They have taken me in from the very first day, even though I was a Gator. They loved me. I really love the city.”
Before anybody comes to the negotiating table, this is as clear-cut a statement of intent as you can get from a player. The Hawks would be smart to bring him back — his pairing with Paul Millsap inside is potent on both ends of the court, and it’s not what let them down in the playoffs. The backcourt of Jeff Teague (and/or Dennis Schroeder) and Kyle Korver has proven easy to shut down in the postseason, and if the Hawks want to change things up, they’d better start there.
