Magic, Pistons, Lakers reportedly among teams interested in Horford
Atlanta Hawks free-agent big man Al Horford will be coveted by many teams this summer,
and ESPN’s Marc Stein reports the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in his services.
Horford has played his entire nine-year career in Atlanta, and he had another strong season in 2015-16 as he was an All-Star for the fourth time. He averaged 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds, numbers that were almost identical to his 2014-15 campaign. Although this past season, the 30-year-old added a solid three-point shot to his arsenal, knocking down 34.4 percent from long range on over three attempts per game.
The Hawks would surely like Horford back and he’s said nothing but good things about his time in Atlanta, but there could be some pause from the team in giving him a max contract considering his age, injury history and how they’ve gotten swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the postseason two years in a row. On the flip side, the big man could decide that he wants to try somewhere new after nine seasons in Atlanta.
As for the teams Stein listed as having interest, the Magic make some sense given Horford played his college ball at Florida. The Pistons already have Andre Drummond in place at center and are expected to re-sign him this summer, but Horford went to high school in Michigan and could play power forward next to Drummond. And of course, the Lakers need a serious upgrade at center and the All-Star big man would provide just that.