Al Horford might, or might not, interest one of the most intriguing teams in this NBA offseason.
Conflicting reports emerged Tuesday and Wednesday over whether the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in signing the soon-to-be-free-agent center. Horford is believed to be drawing significant attention from potential suitors after he reportedly opted out of his contract with the Boston Celtics and is set to enter free agency June 30.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday during his appearance on the “Positionless” podcast the Pelicans have “some level of interest” in signing Horford.
“I think New Orleans with $30 million-plus in cap space would be interesting to see if they can fill that out with a guy like Al Horford,” Charania said. “I’ve been told they’re going to pursue him to some level as well.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Friday the Pelicans might be an interesting spot for Horford, who presumably would mentor young players like Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Charania’s source seems to back that idea.
However, The New York Times’ Marc Stein told The Ringer’s Bill Simmons on Wednesday morning via Twitter the Pelicans aren’t in the running for Horford’s services.
Sad news, @BillSimmons. I've been strongly advised, in the wake of our pod, that New Orleans is NOT the stealth suitor in the Al Horford Sweepstakes. Our search for Horford's destination continues …
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 26, 2019
Stein’s search for Horford’s landing spot continues, as does the saga of the 33-year-old’s next career move.
