The Atlanta Hawks are considering trading
veteran big man Al Horford before Thursday's trade deadline.
The organization has had serious internal discussions about the future of its
core group of players, including Horford,Jeff Teague and Kyle
Korver, according to Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
At 31-24, the Hawks are currently in fourth place in the
Eastern Conference standings. A year after winning a franchise-record 60 games,
the Hawks have failed to find the magic that led them to the Eastern Conference
Finals, where they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks have decided that if the mojo from last season's
run can't be duplicated soon, then changes are necessary, according to
ESPN. A few teams looking for veteran difference makers could be the Boston
Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic.
So far, however, the Hawks are struggling to find suitors.
One reason may be that the Hawks are asking for a lot in return. Chris Mannix
of Yahoo! Sports said the Hawks' asking price from the
Celtics for Horford and Teague was "borderline ridiculous."
On top of that, Horford, who will be an unrestricted free
agent this summer, seems happy in Atlanta. He hasn't informed the team that he
won't be resigning next year, according to Sporting News, and he
told USA Today Sports that he's "very happy in Atlanta."
Even with Horford interested in staying in Atlanta and the
Celtics balking at original talks, it appears the Hawks are still searching for
trade options.
Why trading Horford makes sense for the Hawks
A year after rollicking through the regular season, the
Hawks cannot find a groove this year. It's not that Horford is having a bad
season. He is averaging 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. His
production is down slightly compared to last year, though, when he averaged
15.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He's playing 31.6 minutes
per game compared to 30.5 last season, but the Hawks are nowhere near what they
were last season.
His play is slightly declining, plus Horford is not
guaranteed to come back next season even if he says he's happy in Atlanta.
He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is likely to cash in under
the new salary cap. A max contract with the Hawks would equal $144.5 million
over five years. That's a lot of money and time for a player who turns 30 this
year. Should the Hawks continue to struggle this season and decide Horford
isn't worth the money, they'll get nothing in return for one of the NBA's premier
big men.
The Hawks' path to the NBA Finals isn't
easy. If they couldn't get past the Cavaliers after winning 60 games last
season, how are they going to jump past them when they've failed to reach that
level of play? Trading Horford would signal a new start, but it wouldn't
necessarily mean a complete rebuild if they picked up some key parts in the
deal.
Why trading Horford doesn't make sense for the Hawks
Horford is still one of the best big men in the league. He's
a veteran who's capable of putting a team over the hump, and that team could be
the Hawks. The Hawks haven't found the magic that led them to the top seed in
the East in 2015, but they're still capable of making a run. Aside from the
Cavaliers, no team seems unbeatable. With Horford on board, it's very possible
the Hawks could return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in
a row. There -- even if it seems impossible -- they're an injury or a
seven-game hot streak away from making the NBA Finals.
Plus, Horford might stick around this summer even though he
is an unrestricted free agent.
"I've said it repeatedly," Horford told
USA Today Sports when asked about the possibility of being traded.
"I love the city. My family, we all live in Atlanta, we stay there in the
offseason, so my focus is just to keep playing and taking it day by day and,
right now, it's to enjoy this weekend. ... Just taking it day by day. That's
the only thing I can do. We really can't worry about three or four months from
now."
Sure, he'll be 35 years old and taking in a huge salary by
the end of his next contract should he stay with the Hawks, but Horford has
some good years left in him. Horford has been a cornerstone for the franchise
for nine years. Are they going to turn away from him now?
Likelihood of Horford being traded (4/10)
Any team hoping to nab Horford for the rest of the season
knows he may only be a rental. Horford has reportedly been on the trading block
for a while now, but are teams willing to give up assets in order to bring on
Horford for the second half of the season? Horford could help a team like the
Celtics turn into a real contender, but would he stick around next year, too?
As Steve Kyler of Basketball Insider notes, Boston doesn't want to
give up too many assets for a rental and the Boston Globe reported that
the Celtics were "unlikely' to trade for Horford before Thursday's
deadline. It's not unimaginable that he would sign with whichever team he is
traded to, but it is a big risk for any team to take.
Source: USA Sports Today
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