The Golden State Warriors are the favorites to sign free agent center Al Horford, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
The signing will help the Warriors revert to a more conventional starting lineup, with Horford starting at the five spot and Draymond Green moving back to power forward. While the move helps the Warriors on paper, former three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem is not convinced.
Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Today, the Heat legend said that the 6-foot-9 Horford won’t move the needle for the Warriors due to his lack of athleticism and size.
“You are not addressing length and athleticism by just bringing in Al,” Haslem said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Love Al, but that is not the one that’s gonna push you over the hump.”
Haslem cited the Warriors’ 2025 NBA playoff series loss to the Timberwolves, where their lack of size proved to be a significant problem.
Warriors’ Lack of Size a Problem
The five-game series saw Minnesota collect 153 defensive rebounds, 18 more than Golden State, while dominating every other aspect of the game inside the paint.
“You saw the lack of size glaringly against Minnesota last year,” Haslem highlighted. “You saw the lack of athleticism glaringly against Minnesota last year.”
Haslem noted that Horford will definitely help the Warriors with an additional floor spacer and high-IQ passer, but won’t fix their defensive woes.
“When you talk about bringing in Al, I love Al. I would love for him to finish his career with a guy like Steph (Curry),” Haslem said. “He’s a guy who’s definitely gonna space the floor and knock down some threes, but he does not address your needs.”
“He does not address the need of athleticism. When you talk about bringing in another guy that is older, and he does not address the need of having size.”
Quiet Warriors Offseason
As of July 17, the Warriors remain the only team in the NBA not to sign any free agents. A big part of that decision hinges on the restricted free agency of Jonathan Kuminga, who hasn’t received significant offers from interested suitors.
Golden State’s lack of activity in free agency has sparked concern among some analysts and fans, but Stephen Curry remains confident in his team’s front office.
In a chat with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole, Curry explained why he has full confidence in his team to assemble a competitive roster in 2025-26.
“The narrative outside versus the narrative inside might not always be the same,” Curry said of his team’s quiet offseason. “We talk. We have communication. I know what’s going on to the point where I have a lot of confidence in our ability to put together a winning team next year. That’s all I want.”
Curry also expressed confidence that his team, which finished the 2024-25 season with a 23-8 record, can pick up right where it left off.
“I mean, we’ll talk about X’s and O’s and the philosophy of how this particular team that’s coming in next year needs to play to win, and that’ll evolve over the course of training camp and the 82-game schedule,” he added.
“Right now, it’s everybody taking advantage of an unfortunately longer offseason to get refreshed and rejuvenated, mentally and physically. Our last 35 games and the playoffs felt like a full-on sprint.”
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