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NBA Trade Rumors: 15 Teams That Should Trade For Al Horford

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) shows emotion after a made shot against the Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Pacers 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) shows emotion after a made shot against the Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Pacers 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 1, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford (15) controls the ball while Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) defends during the second half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Atlanta defeated Charlotte 94-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Charlotte Hornets

An Al-Al swap! With both Al Horford and Al Jefferson hitting free agency this summer, this may seem like a pointless lateral move for both sides. But upon examining the details, it’d actually make some sense for both parties.

The Charlotte Hornets are dead-set on making their way back to the playoffs, but at their current position in eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, they’re about as close to the No. 3 seed (4.5 games) as they are to No. 11 (4.0 games). Just keeping Nicolas Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist healthy could be enough to secure a postseason berth, but MKG is out again and Batum is no guarantee to stay healthy either.

The Hornets have found a winning formula with Al Jefferson out, making him somewhat expendable as he prepares for unrestricted free agency this summer. At 31 years old Jefferson is an injury-prone, defensive sieve who might not be worth the trouble of re-signing this summer as the salary cap booms.

Horford, on the other hand, would bolster Charlotte’s starting five for a playoff run, and the Hornets could try to re-sign him and Batum over the summer to ensure this team continues to build toward something positive. They’d have to throw in a future first-rounder since Horford is a better (and healthier) player, and since there’d be no guarantee Jefferson would want to re-sign in Atlanta.

For Atlanta, the first-rounder would help ease the risk of Jefferson leaving in free agency. But since Jefferson has been so banged up this season, his market value might not be as high and who knows? Maybe Budenholzer and the Hawks could overlook his defensive flaws and inability to spread the floor since Steve Clifford was able to field a top-10 defense in 2013-14 with Jefferson on the floor.

However, the Hawks would probably just be better off keeping Horford and overpaying him this summer than ponying up the dough for an injury-prone, older center like Jefferson. Likewise, the Hornets have plenty of good memories of Jefferson’s Third Team All-NBA season and his value is currently low given his injury struggles this year.

Next: No. 12

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