The Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics are reportedly the frontrunners to land free agent Al Horford, but the district might be a better destination
According to Woj, the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics are considered the frontrunners to land free agent Al Horford, who’s largely recognized as the second best player available on the market.
For some reason, also known as Brad Stevens, the Celtics have been linked to every top free agent, including Kevin Durant. The Celtics were in the select group that landed a meeting with the former MVP, causing an uproar among Wizards fans.
I’ve been told by Wizards players that Stevens is the primary reason why the Celtics will become a future free agent destination – and they have.
Stevens won 48 games with a pretty low-key group of players.
Isaiah Thomas was an All-Star, but besides that, the Celtics don’t have a household name on the roster.
Players aren’t stampeding to play with Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson or even Avery Bradley anytime soon. If the Celtics do land a top free agent, it’s because they’ve accumulated assets for future trades and Stevens has earned a reputation as being a top coach in the NBA.
Here’s the catch, though, and it’s an important one: draft picks and coaches don’t play.
Ultimately, as great as Stevens is, he can’t make the final shot at the buzzer or secure a game-winning rebound. The talent that is on the roster prevails over assets, that – by the way – no one wanted on draft night last month.
The Celtics tried – and they tried hard – to move future picks for actual players, but they couldn’t generate an offer.
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From Jimmy Butler to Jahlil Okafor, general manager Danny Ainge did all he could do improve the team’s roster before the start of free agency and still didn’t complete a deal.
Ainge and the Celtics are also likely selling Al Horford the idea of playing along side Kevin Durant in Boston.
There’s one big problem with that: Durant is not on the roster and there’s a great chance he remains out West with either the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Clippers – all teams with proven talent.
The Celtics are selling Horford and other top free agents on ideas that haven’t come to fruition.
The thought of playing with Durant is certainly enticing, but it’s one that will probably never happen. The team is then left with a fantastic coach and a rather meh, but deep roster.
A Thomas and Bradley back court might have been better than John Wall and Bradley Beal this past season, but players in the league value Washington’s guards a lot more.
Let’s not forget, the Wizards were just a bounce or two away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last year against the Horford-led Atlanta Hawks.
Wall and Beal both put up fantastic numbers when it mattered most and helped the team achieve the highest success it has since the 1970s.
In terms of talent, I really don’t think there’s even a debate.
Wall, when at his best, is a top five point guard in the NBA. Prior to getting hurt last season, Beal played at an All-Star level too. Now that he’s locked up under a max contract, Beal is due for a breakout season.
On top of all this, the Wizards could offer Horford the chance to play power forward – something the Celtics would struggle to do without a legitimate starting center in place.
Like Nene, Horford hasn’t been fond of playing the center position and prefers the four. Next to Marcin Gortat, even if it’s for small spurts before Markieff Morris relieves the Polish Machine, Horford would go back to his “natural” position.
A Wall, Beal, Otto Porter, Horford and Gortat lineup would catapult the Washington Wizards into second place in the East immediately. Getting Horford would not do the same for Boston without making assumptions about situations that probably won’t occur.
Hypothetically, if both teams keep their same respective rosters and just add Horford, there’s no doubt that Washington has more talent – at least on paper.
The assets that Ainge has gotten that he will supposedly flip for talent don’t play on the court. Stevens can draw up the plays, but he needs his players to execute. Boston won just two games in this year’s playoffs to Horford’s Hawks that were swept in the second round.
Next: Best Remaining Free Agents for the Wizards
With a new coach in Scott Brooks, a healthy back court and a developing core of players featuring Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre and the recently acquire Markieff Morris, the Washington Wizards have the leadership on the sideline and the players on the court to contend in the East. I’m not sure the same could be said for Boston.