2016 NBA free agency: 5 worst fits for Al Horford

The Los Angeles Lakers need to address the starting center position desperately in 2016 NBA free agency. Though both Julius Randle and Larry Nance, Jr. have upside as solid rotational front players in the NBA, neither project to be a star, much less at starting center for the Lakers.

Now that Kobe Bryant’s massive salary is off the books following his retirement, skilled Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak finally has the resources to target a top-tier center to anchor his exciting young corps. Horford has been linked to the Lakers in possible free agency discussions for months now. Would he really want to sign for a Western Conference doormat?

Los Angeles will happily give Horford the max, but for a guy that has never missed the NBA Playoffs in his nine years starting for the Hawks, would Horford be cool with certainly missing out on them in 2017 with the Lakers. That seems inevitable with a team coming off a 17-65 2015-16 NBA season.

Horford can get more money, an extra year on his contract because of Bird Rights, and play for presumably one of the five best teams in the East if he just stays with the Hawks. In Los Angeles, he can take on the role of veteran team leader in their rebuilding efforts and play in a major media market for an iconic franchise, but championship aspirations in his career are out the window if he signs with the Lakers this summer.

Horford has only a handful of prime years left, as he is in his early 30s. Atlanta may not ever win a championship with him as part of its corps, but leaving Atlanta for the Lakers eliminates playoff certainty for the Hawks’ star center. By the time the Lakers are good enough to be a threat to contend in the Western Conference, Horford will have exited his prime and might even be out of the league.

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