2016 NBA free agency: 5 worst fits for Al Horford

With small forward Chandler Parsons almost certainly leaving Dallas in free agency and the greatest player in franchise history in power forward Dirk Nowitzki at least considering listening to other teams’ pitches in 2016 NBA free agency, what are the 2016-17 Dallas Mavericks even going to look like?

It’s expected that Nowitzki will return to close out his Hall of Fame career with the only NBA team he’ll ever play for, but what are Dallas general manager Donnie Nelson and owner Mark Cuban going to have to do to ensure that the Mavericks are nothing more than a first-round exit in the final years of the Nowitzki era?

Dallas for some reason continues to strike out big in NBA free agency. However, Horford might be one of those prospective free agents that wouldn’t be opposed to signing a four-year maximum contract with the Mavericks should Atlanta not give him a five-year max.

Though Dallas will still be a playoff team if Horford joins the cause in 2016-17, will the Mavericks be good enough to win a playoff series? He and Nowitzki could work in the starting Mavericks front court with Horford playing his traditional role of center while Nowitzki sticks to his patented offensive game from out near the perimeter.

However, Nowitzki is a defensive liability and Horford would have to anchor a Dallas defense that hasn’t been good since Tyson Chandler left. He won’t have skilled defensive teammates to work with in Dallas like he had in Atlanta with Millsap and Thabo Sefolosha.

Going to Dallas could be a money grab if Atlanta doesn’t offer him top dollar for whatever reason. Horford is the type of star player that Cuban would absolutely give a max contract to, even if he’s not the best scheme fit. He probably wouldn’t be happy playing second fiddle to Nowitzki in Dallas anyway.

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