The Atlanta Hawks are fielding and listening to offers for forward/center Al Horford
The Atlanta Hawks are almost surely going to be in the 2016 NBA Playoffs in the Eastern Conference, likely as one of the top-four seeds. However, they are in a unique position as they also are seemingly likely to be sellers leading up to the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline. One big name that could be on the move if the right deal comes along is big man Al Horford.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Hawks are listening to offers for the 29-year-old forward/center leading up to the Feb. 18 deadline. While Atlanta would love to have the versatile two-way big man on the roster, especially heading into the postseason, the Hawks want to be sure that they would get something in return for Horford. The fear is reportedly that the big man would walk as an unrestricted free agent this summer and Atlanta would be left with nothing but a major hole on their roster.
That fear is certainly legitimate as Horford is going to be one of the hottest commodities in free agency this summer and a player that will almost definitely demand a max contract on the open market. With many of the big market teams around the league having the cap-room to hand out such a contract, the fear that Horford could leave in free agency and leave the Hawks with nothing in return is real.
However, the question that remains is what the Hawks would be looking for leading up to the deadline in exchange for Horford. Sure, he’s an expiring contract, but he’s also a player that could be hugely beneficial to a team on the cusp of making a run in the postseason. That being said, there will likely have to be a hefty amount of draft pick compensation and young assets heading to Atlanta in any deal that includes Horford.
Leading up to Feb. 18, though, Horford is a big name to keep an eye on. The Hawks appear to be looking to shake things up and protect themselves in a major way and could make a big splash before the deadline trying to do so.