Al Horford opted out of his deal with the Celtics last week with rumors swirling he had found a team willing to give him what Boston apparently would not: a four-year deal worth something like $100 million. Reports suggest Boston topped out at three years with perhaps a lower per-year value given the apparent direction of the team to move on from the failed Kyrie Irving era.
Al Horford’s Mystery Team is the summer blockbuster no one asked for
We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Yet in the week since that turn of events, we appear to be no closer to figuring out who that mystery team is.
Let’s try to narrow it down.
Teams without cap space or viable paths to cap space
Thunder, Cavaliers, Heat, Blazers, Rockets, Pistons, Nuggets, Wizards, Raptors, Jazz, Spurs, Hornets, Warriors. Thirteen down, 17 to go.
Teams too young and smart to convince Al to join
Hawks, Grizzlies, Bulls. Sixteen down, 14 to go.
So more than half the league is pretty much out of the running right away, unless one of the capped-out teams like the Thunder or Rockets have something wild up their sleeves. (Now that I put it that way ...)
Let’s break the rest into tiers.
Spendy teams with bigger priorities than Al Horford
Lakers, Clippers, Sixers, Nets, Bucks.
Bad young teams Horford would be crazy to join
Suns, Knicks.
Rising young teams that are kind of intriguing spots
Mavericks, Magic, Kings, Pelicans.
Smoke screen conspiracy theory
Celtics.
Team that probably doesn’t have the frontcourt space but seems like the most Al Horford landing spot possible
Pacers.
My betting choice for the inaugural Al Horford mystery team despite not really having enough space or a precise need for Al Horford
Timberwolves.
I’d rank the options as 1. Wolves; 2. Pacers; 3. Kings; 4. Magic; 5. Suns.
Big Apple Boogie
Marc Stein reported late Wednesday that if the Knicks’ plans to land big name free agents like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (which seems inevitable at this point, though I’m not sold on Durant going to the Clippers or Nets), New York may turn its attention to DeMarcus Cousins on a pricey one-year deal.
This would be brilliant for Cousins: a payday and carte blanche to average 30-15 for a high-profile team. Perfection. But there’s like no reason for the Knicks to do it whatsoever.
The Knicks have the luxury of not needing to fill seats. The Knicks have a top prospect in R.J. Barrett and some other decent players with upside. If they don’t get Durant or Irving, that cap space should probably be spent on either young talented players (like D’Angelo Russell if the Nets let him walk) or rented out to teams looking to cut salary (like the Thunder) for the cost of draft picks or young prospects.
The ability to convince Cousins to sign with the team on a longer deal next summer would be a nice play, but it’s not the best value play here. Build smart, build slow ... if you can’t land a true whale now.
(I have a feeling Cousins will end up on the Lakers on a short, cap-friendly deal. He still has something to prove, he’s quite friendly with LeBron James, and his pairing with Anthony Davis was actually awesome.)
Links
Kevin Arnovitz reports the NBA is asking teams to pitch season-shrinking schedules that incorporate a mid-season cup and/or a play-in tournament for the 2021-22 season. I look forward to this resulting in an 80-game season with a single 8-9 play-in game in each conference.
Brian Phillips on why we are so hard on Kevin Durant, the most relatable NBA superstar.
An interview with the dude who is trying to convince Toronto restaurants from never letting Kawhi Leonard pay for a meal in the city if he re-signs. Can we hook Jeremy Lin up, too, please?
Kristian Winfield on how the Sixers and Rockets can both win a Jimmy Butler trade.
Winfield on what Durant might want. Do work, young man.
Durant has opted out of his contract, ensuring the Warriors won’t be paying for his rehab without a guarantee of future work from the star.
Tom Haberstroh ranks the top 10 NBA lineups ever. I don’t see Shareef Abdur-Rahim/Brad Miller/Kevin Martin/Bonzi Wells/Ron Artest on there so color me skeptical. (I’m telling you, that lineup slayed the half season they had together, with Ron-Ron and B-52 sharing point duties.)
Fixing all the bird logos in pro American sports. Next up: incorporating King Cake Baby into every pro American sports team logo.
And finally: can the United States win gold in the men’s 3x3 Olympic tournament even without professional players? Only one way to find out.
(Wait, can we get Miller, Wells, and Artest to handle this for us?)
Be excellent to each other.
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