The AL Horford Dilemma

[PandaKidd]

Yeah I dont know how the Hawks improve their Roster while keeping Horford. I just dont know how that happens.

[Jamaaliver]

Zach Lowe reports that the Hawks are reluctant at giving Horford the 5th year, something he really wants.

We're playing a Dangerous game:

Reports: If Hawks hesitate on fifth year, Thunder among teams lined up to poach Al Horford


Oklahoma City Thunder have been making calls around the league looking to clear a massive amount of salary-cap space in a move rival executives believe is an effort to go after free agent Al Horford in addition to Durant, multiple sources told ESPN.

Horford played for Thunder coach Billy Donovan at Florida, where they teamed up to win two national titles, and they remain close. The Thunder have an opening at power forward after trading Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic last week.

If the Hawks lose Horford in free agency, they might as well also let Kent Bazemore go, trade Paul Millsap and start the rebuild. Refusing to offer Horford the fifth year is just a team trying to be safe and thrifty. Which would be very Atlanta Hawks.

Here


We could be facing the single most important decision we've faced in a decade: Overpay or rebuild...

Neither of those options sounds fun.

[Jamaaliver]

Yeah I dont know how the Hawks improve their Roster while keeping Horford. I just dont know how that happens.

TRAAAAADES!!!!!!!


Just...smarter than the one we just pulled off.

[HMFFL]

The unwillingness to give Al Horford the 5th year won't just hurt us short-term but it will for many years. Agents will forever remind their clients and players will take mental notes that our Hawks decided not to pay an All-Star that's spent his entire career in Atlanta up until now.....

[HMFFL]

Al Horford is now going to meet with the Houston Rockets tomorrow.

NBA sources confirmed for FOX 26 Sports that the Houston Rockets will meet with free agent center Al Horford on Friday. Horford will officially become a free agent Thursday night at 11 p.m. Central Time.
– via FOX 26 Houston http://www.fox26houston.com/sports/167758156-story

[PandaKidd]

I think if Atlanta WANTS Horford, its 5 years if they dont, then theyll try to talk him into a lesser deal (prob knowing he will leave).

I think theres a possbility he looks at OKC on a 1+1 deal and goes play with Durant for 1 year if Durant resigns.

[Jamaaliver]

The unwillingness not willing to give Al Horford the 5th year won't just hurt us short-term but it will for many years. Agents will forever remind their clients and players will take note...

Absolutely. Why would any Free Agent sign here in the near future if the narrative floating around NBA circles becomes that we "wouldn't take care of our franchise player."

Fair or unfair.

And if AL walks this summer...it's an almost certainty Millsap walks away next summer as well. To spend the end of his career chasing a title on a true contender.

[atlantabbq99]

For OKC to get Horford they would need to trade Oladipo and Kanter and get no contracts in return. I really don't know how OKC is planning to pay Horford.

[Jamaaliver]

^^^Not sure how accurate this is, but I'd do a Kanter + Oladipo for Horford trade any day of the week!!!

[PandaKidd]

For OKC to get Horford they would need to trade Oladipo and Kanter and get no contracts in return. I really don't know how OKC is planning to pay Horford.

Im not sure thats true.

Thunder will have to trade Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler and take little to no salary back, let Dion Waiters and Randy Foye go in free agency and waiving the partially guaranteed contracts of Anthony Morrow and/or Ersan Ilyasova to make room for Horford. But even then, the Thunder will still have enough depth left to complement one of the best starting lineups in the league.

Oladipo isnt going anywhere.

[ATL Boy]

I'm sure when push comes to shove we'll give him that 5th year.

It really won't be fun paying him over $30 mil when he's 35 years old, but what choice do we have? We won't be in a good place if Al leaves, unless we can lock up Dwight Howard as a replacement, but even then that would probably require us paying Dwight more money in his age 35 season (and in his 16th season in the NBA, as opposed to Horford's 13th season).


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[Jamaaliver]

We won't be in a good place if Al leaves, unless we can lock up Dwight Howard as a replacement, but even then that would probably require us paying Dwight more money in his age 35 season.

Does anyone else consider Howard replacing Horford as a lateral move?

D12 is a better defender, rebounder than AL...but is a much worse shooter and passer, can't hit free throws and has long-term injury concerns that AL doesn't carry.

A lineup with Millsap, Howard and DS...would have serious spacing issues.

[MaceCase]

Hmm, so Kanter is owed 54 million (with a 15% trade kicker) and Singler is owed 15 million over 3 years. I'm to believe that OKC is just going to dump the equivalent of a max contract worth of the worst defensive big man and a non rotational wing over night without giving up any sweetener? Ah, the offseason.

[dms269]

I'm sure when push comes to shove we'll give him that 5th year.

It really won't be fun paying him over $30 mil when he's 35 years old, but what choice do we have? We won't be in a good place if Al leaves, unless we can lock up Dwight Howard as a replacement, but even then that would probably require us paying Dwight more money in his age 35 season (and in his 16th season in the NBA, as opposed to Horford's 13th season).


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I hope we don't end up holding on to him for that long.

ideally we keep him for 1 more, maybe 2 more years before we ship him out.

[PandaKidd]

Hmm, so Kanter is owed 54 million (with a 15% trade kicker) and Singler is owed 15 million over 3 years. I'm to believe that OKC is just going to dump the equivalent of a max contract worth of the worst defensive big man and a non rotational wing over night without giving up any sweetener? Ah, the offseason.

It was an article someone posted, not MY opinion.

Singler is mehhh, but I think Kanter would be EASILY traded. But how do you not get salary back?

[Jamaaliver]

...I think Kanter would be EASILY traded. But how do you not get salary back?

Agreed. Older existing contracts become straight gold with the rising salary cap.

Teams can absorb existing contracts into their new salary cap space fairly easily. (Like we did with Tiago last summer.) A small market team like New Orleans would love to get an offensive player like Enes FOR NOTHING into their frontcourt next to Anthony Davis.


I actually would be okay this summer, if all we did was absorb high value existing contracts that other teams are dumping to overspend elsewhere:

Andre Iguodala
Enes Kanter
Jeremy Lamb
Monta Ellis
Demarre Carroll


I'd much rather let these guys fill out my roster for cheap while other teams massively overpay Kent Bazemore and Demar DeRozan.

[MaceCase]

Hmm, so Kanter is owed 54 million (with a 15% trade kicker) and Singler is owed 15 million over 3 years. I'm to believe that OKC is just going to dump the equivalent of a max contract worth of the worst defensive big man and a non rotational wing over night without giving up any sweetener? Ah, the offseason.

It was an article someone posted, not MY opinion.

Singler is mehhh, but I think Kanter would be EASILY traded. But how do you not get salary back?

It doesn't have to be your opinion. The point is during this time of year writers put out every last idiotic idea they can conceive with "anonymous sources" if even that as clickbait and fans run away with it like it's gospel.

If you're telling me that OKC can just dump $70 million worth of contracts without taking back any salary then ANY team can do the same and begin dreams of building a super team because these aren't exactly coveted pieces. There's a half dozen C's on the market better than Kanter that will barely cost more. That will surely crimp OKC's ability to just dump him somewhere and of course dumping Kanter alone doesn't get them anywhere, they have to do it with the human equivalent of dead cap in Singler just to get in shouting distance of Al. Sounds like a lot of work and doesn't take into account Durant then Westbrook's impending free agency. So yea, that's a thousand moving pieces to give this rumor much credence until something actually happens.

[PandaKidd]

I think the Horford/OKC would not be a long term deal. Maybe Al is pissed off a Atlanta not offering him the 5th year, and he takes a 1+1 with OKC to go chase a ring, that gets him to the 10 year MAX SUPER MAX contract anyway.

I dont THINK that happens, I think Al signs somewhere long term regardless, but in a vacuum maybe they make it happen. Would be a big F U to the Hawks.

Theres rumbling about Wade doing something like that, maybe he gets so pissed at Riley trying to underpay him that he takes a less deal with the SPurs just to stick it to Riley.

In erality thats prob all bull because its about MONEY. And players should get every dollar you can get.

[MaceCase]

My thinking is this: If OKC can dump even just Kanter at 54 mill, 17 mil per, then why would GS be unable to dump Bogut at an expiring 11 mil?

[td00]

I will never doubt Presti being able to make a move, whether it ends up in his favor or not.

The legacy of the GM is on the line with KD right now, and Horford is not priority #1...we all know that.

They can easily go into next season with their acquisitions and contend should KD return. But if they want Horford, it will have to be a S&T. But there's no way we should take Waiters as the caveat.