This is a crucial offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers. Off the back of a season in which the team put together a great regular season but fell short in the playoffs, general manager Rob Pelinka has a lot on his plate, with the main goal being appeasing LeBron James so that he stays in LA.
Rumors have floated around that James might very well ask for a trade if the front office doesn’t do enough to fortify the roster and gear it up for a championship run. Early on in free agency, the team has made a couple of moves to clear up some salary cap space, but they are yet to fully dive in. The team really doesn’t have room to make a big splash, so they must focus on high-level role players.
Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors both targeting Al Horford
It seems like they have a top target already, at arguably the biggest position of need. According to a report from The Athletic’s Dan Woike, the Lakers want Al Horford on their team. There’s just one big problem: so do the Golden State Warriors.
It’s no surprise that the Lakers want to get better in the paint. Not going through with the Mark Williams trade at the deadline ended up coming back to haunt them, as Los Angeles really needed an interior presence come postseason time. The front office clearly acknowledges that with their interest in Horford.
The Warriors, on the other hand, feel the same way as the Lakers. They want to maximize their championship window while Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler are still playing at an elite level. With Jonathan Kuminga an unknown for next season and Kevon Looney off to New Orleans, they need a center for the upcoming season.
Horford has the ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting ability, which could benefit the Warriors greatly. His defensive prowess would be coveted by the Lakers. A bidding war may have just begun.
Read the full article here
