On Thursday Stephen Curry sounded like a man that was confident of playing with Al Horford next season, with the Golden State Warriors expected to sign the veteran center once Jonathan Kuminga’s future is finalized.
Reports of the Warriors interest in Horford surfaced in the hours leading up to free agency last week, having clearly identified the 39-year-old as their primary target in the search for a veteran stretch five. Yet Horford wasn’t the first target identified by those on the outside, with former Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez more prominently linked to Golden State in the weeks before free agency began.
Warriors are already justified in targeting Al Horford over Brook Lopez
While Horford is yet to officially sign with the Warriors, and we’re yet to see to what extent he can impact the team, the front office’s decision to target him over Lopez has already been proven as the right one.
Golden State need a starting calibre center, with Horford likely to become that in a move that would allow Draymond Green to return to his customary power forward role. He may be 39-years-old and 18 years into a decorated career, but Horford can still evidently be that after averaging 31.6 minutes, shooting 40% from 3-point range, and being a cumulative +10 during the Boston Celtics 2025 playoff run.
There’s far more question marks on whether Lopez can be that player, particularly for a team like the Warriors whose defensive system would prefer a center who can switch out and guard a little on the perimeter.
As opposed to Horford’s significant role with the Celtics, Lopez averaged just 14.8 minutes in the Bucks first-round playoff series where they lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers. The 37-year-old was benched in Game 5 and averaged 5.0 points for the series, shooting 36.4% from the floor and 26.7% from 3-point range while the Bucks were a -26 in Lopez’s 74 total minutes.
The benching in Game 5 is now seemingly a real development in Lopez’s career, with the 2021 NBA champion signing with the L.A Clippers in free agency where he’ll assuredly play as a backup to starting center Ivica Zubac.
Perhaps Lopez acknowledges he’s no longer a 20-25 minute per game big man in the league, whereas Horford’s playoff role and Golden State’s need for a starting center would suggest he still wants a prominent role on a veteran team.
The Warriors were right to target Horford over Lopez as a veteran free agent center, so now they just need to seal the deal with an official signing sooner rather than later.
