NBA Rumors: Lakers, Sixers Seen As Front-runners To Land Al Horford In Free Agency
Al Horford is making an unexpected entry into free agency, and early reports indicate that the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers could be among the front-runners to land the talented big man.
The All-Star center declined his $30.1 million player option with the Boston Celtics so he can explore free agency, and early indications are that it could end up paying off for him. There are already a handful of teams identified as pursuing him, including the Los Angeles Lakers.
Initial reports indicated that Horford intended to sign a new deal with the Celtics, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Celtics are prepared for his departure.
While there are no solid reports yet of what teams plan to pursue Al Horford, there are some early indications that an Eastern Conference rival could try to pry him away from Boston. Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports said during an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia that the Sixers might be preparing to make a run for him.
As the report noted, the Sixers may see Horford as the missing link in a team at the doorstep of title contention.
“Horford is an enticing target for Philly as a versatile veteran frontcourt presence alongside superstar Joel Embiid,” the report noted. “As Haberstroh points out, adding a player like Horford who can defend multiple positions and contribute on offense would allow Philly to lighten Embiid’s workload, especially if the team is unable to re-sign Tobias Harris in free agency.”
The report pegged four other teams tight in the running for the 33-year-old, all in the Western Conference. They include the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks. While the Lakers may be among the most aggressive teams in this offseason as they look to rapidly rebuild and move beyond the disappointing first year of the LeBron James era, there could be some mitigating factors. The Lakers have a complicated salary cap situation, one that apparently even team management doesn’t fully understand.
Al Horford expected to draw interest from Lakers, Mavs and Clippers, per @KevinOConnorNBA pic.twitter.com/4qXXGlQJAl
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) June 19, 2019
As Complex noted, several NBA reporters claim that when completing the Anthony Davis trade, the Lakers simply forgot to clear the cap space needed to sign another max player. The report noted that the Lakers had to call the Pelicans back and “beg them for a different deal,” and are now scrambling to unload a trio of players — Mo Wagner, Jemerrio Jones, and Isaac Bonga — to make up the cap space.
