There's plenty to like about Al Horford from a Golden State Warriors perspective, assuming the franchise can actually complete the signing of the 39-year-old once Jonathan Kuminga's situation is resolved.
Adding a veteran stretch five to a team in desperate need of a proven starting center is just what the Warriors need, allowing Draymond Green to return to his customary power forward role rather than continue taking the heavy workload as a small-ball option.
There's the aspect of how Horford can be a mentor for Quinten Post as a similar stretch five entering his second season, but there's also another more underrated element that involves the entire Golden State front court.
The Warriors could have a true double-big lineup to utilize next season
After the Warriors revolutionized the league with their small-ball style, the league is starting to revert back towards double-big lineups given the skill and athleticism of the modern centers. Golden State got a taste of that in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, with Steve Kerr even forced to play Quinten Post and Kevon Looney together for the first time in the entire season to try and combat the pairing of Alperun Sengun and Steven Adams.
While they did it less in the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder had enormous success with the duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the first-seed in the Eastern Conference with a duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allan, while the Dallas Mavericks will now predominantly utilize two of Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II together.
Even since free agency opened, we've seen a couple of teams really load up on big men with the undoubted thought of implementing more double-big lineups. The San Antonio Spurs have added Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk to go with budding superstar Victor Wembanyama, while the L.A. Clippers have acquired John Collins and Brook Lopez to pair with incumbent starting center Ivica Zubac.
As presently constructed, the Warriors don't have the ability to effectively apply such lineups. That should change if they add Horford who not only gives Golden State a starting center, but someone who at 6'9" can still play plenty of minutes at the four.
In fact, the presence of Kristaps Porzingis has meant that Horford has played more time at power forward than he has at center over the past two seasons with the Boston Celtics. Not only will Steve Kerr have the veteran duo of Green and Horford, but the latter could also play in double-big lineups with either Post or fellow young center Trayce Jackson-Davis.
This factor can't be overlooked in why Golden State are chasing Horford so aggressively, with the hope that an official announcement will be forthcoming over the next few days.