The San Antonio Spurs could be the potential landing spot for Atlanta Hawks big man Al Horford, according to the latest NBA trade rumors buzzing around the league.
The Hawks have made Horford and Jeff Teague available in the trade market, with the team rumored to be inclined in pressing the "reset button," as revealed by Adrian Wojnarowski on The Vertical Podcast.
"Al Horford is a free agent this summer.They're not sure he's going to stay, whether they're going to keep him," Wojnarowski said.
"There's a chance this Atlanta team pushes the reset button here at some point."
Horford is in the final year of his contract with the Hawks, making him a reasonable candidate to get traded before the deadline. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, there is a growing sense within the Hawks organization that Horford could leave come free agency, considering all the max-contract offers the All-Star power forward could get when the NBA's new TV deal kicks in.
With all these in consideration, the Hawks may have to trade away Horford to get someone in return instead of letting him walk away for nothing this summer. According to Jon Shames of Hoops Habit, a strong title contender like the San Antonio Spurs could make a run for the soon-to-be free agent big man.
Shames pointed out that the Spurs should trade for Horford as he is a "100 percent" San Antonio material due to his excellent pick-and-roll skills that made him effective under Mike Budenholzer's system. Shames also noted that bringing in Horford would give Tim Duncan the much-needed time to rest and would move a struggling LaMarcus Aldridge back to his comfort zone, where he could operate better offense.
However, the Spurs do not have much trade pieces to offer Atlanta, so they must involve a third team to make an enticing package for the Hawks. In Shames' trade scenario, the Milwaukee Bucks could play as the third party for a blockbuster deal that could alter the landscape of the entire league.
In the trade scenario, the Bucks would send OJ Mayo's expiring contract to the Hawks, while the Spurs send young prospects in Kyle Anderson and Jonathan Simmons. The Spurs then send Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner to Milwaukee, who has been in desperate need of veteran leadership, while the Hawks send Horford to San Antonio.
The Spurs are currently second in the league and in the Western Conference. If they are confident with their chances of dethroning the Golden State Warriors, the Spurs should stick with the chemistry they already have. However, San Antonio's lopsided loss against the defending champs could be a factor for the Spurs to chase someone like Horford before the deadline.