Getty Al Horford of the Boston Celtics celebrates after scoring against the Denver Nuggets.
With news coming out that the Lakers are looking to shop their remaining players and free up salary cap room for another elite talent, rumors are swirling on who the Lakers might be considering going after. Big names like Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard both are still seemingly undecided on where they plan to end up, however, the second tier of stars provides some interesting upside as well.
The Lakers are desperate for both a point guard and a true center at this point. While Anthony Davis has the size of a center, he plays at his best alongside a traditional center. Coincidentally, Boston big man Al Horford recently opted out of the last year of his contract and now hits the free agent market.
Getting up there in age, Horford likely won’t command another max salary despite still having a relatively hefty price tag. From a financial standpoint, this would allow them to spend a bit more to address the other areas of need – namely PG – by spending more than a minimum salary.
Lakers Signing Al Horford in Free Agency Creates Ideal Anthony Davis Pairing
From a basketball standpoint, Horford would be an incredible fit playing alongside Davis in the frontcourt. A highly cerebral big man known for his excellent passing out of the post, Horford creates tons of easy looks for his teammates while playing elite defense.
Horford isn’t necessarily a rim protector but has the capacity to lock down any big man in the league. This enables Davis to wreak havoc on opposing defenses as he can use his incredible length and athleticism to comfortably help protect the rim while knowing Horford has the opposing big locked down.
A frontcourt of Davis, LeBron James, and Horford would by far be one of the league’s best and despite glaring holes in the frontcourt, would be an incredibly difficult team get easy baskets at the rim against. Especially if the Lakers can round out their backcourt with reliable shooters, the high-level playmaking among all frontcourt players should provide countless open looks for whatever guards the Lakers bring on.
Other Lakers Free Agency Targets
As mentioned above, the Lakers are also looking at most of the Blue Chip free agents on the market. While Kyrie Irving seems to be heading to Brooklyn and Kevin Durant‘s injury forces him out of the Lakers’ plans, both Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard look to be the top targets for LA.
Kemba Walker has also had his name thrown around but unless Charlotte comes in with an insanely low offer, it seems his ideal plan is to stay put and play out his career for the Hornets. However, the Hornets have been adamant that Walker will not be getting the full supermax and the possibility of him walking could be very real.