The Atlanta Hawks are looking to not be in the play-in tournament next season after realizing that the Eastern Conference could be up for grabs.
The Hawks added veterans Nickeil Walker-Alexander and Luke Kennard, who could be great complements to Trae Young. Atlanta also bolstered their frontcourt, acquiring veteran Kristaps Porzingis in a trade with the Boston Celtics, where they parted ways with Georges Niang.
The Hawks will be depending on Porzingis, Onyeka Okongwu, and Jalen Johnson to hold things down up front on both ends of the floor. But when you look at Atlanta’s depth behind those guys, it's not great.
Therefore, the Hawks must find one or two more veterans in free agency who could provide depth and quality minutes on the floor. Luckily for the Hawks, there are some options available to them, including a former teammate of Porzingis, who has ties to Atlanta.
Hawks Expressing Interest in Former Atlanta Big Man Al Horford
ESPN’s Marc Spears said on Monday’s edition of NBA Today that Atlanta is among the teams still interested in Horford’s services (h/t Brian Robb of MassLive). Spears mentioned that the Golden State Warriors, another team that’s been linked to Horford, expected him to sign last week, but it never happened.
"Golden State obviously expected him to sign last week, he didn’t [sign], Spears said. Lakers, Milwaukee, and Atlanta, I believe are also interested in a nearly 40-year-old guy who also has retirement on the table. He’s still considering retiring, he’s not in any hurry. He’s got a sixth kid coming on the way, he lives in Atlanta and Boston in the offseason. I’m hearing that whether it’s Golden State and a lesser extent to the Lakers, being away from the family that far isn’t going to be in that decision."
It’s not surprising that the Hawks are targeting Horford, who spent the first nine years of his career in Atlanta. With Atlanta, Horford was a four-time All-Star, named to the All-Rookie Team, and was selected to the All-NBA 3rd Team.
It also helps that he still lives in Atlanta, which could give the Hawks another leg up on the competition if the former Hawk still wants to play. As Spears also points out, Horford hasn’t taken retirement off the board.
Horford has accomplished a lot over his career, including an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2024-25. He doesn’t have anything else to prove, but if he still wants to play and has that fire to compete, why not do it with the Hawks?
The next few weeks should be telling as we should hopefully get an answer from Horford, which could telegraph Atlanta’s next move in the frontcourt.