The free agency addition of Al Horford remains on track for the Golden State Warriors, but it could have quite easily been disrupted by the Los Angeles Lakers in what would have been a major free agency disaster.
Horford's arrival at the Warriors has felt like a fait accompli for well over a month, yet there was plenty of anxiety before then as other teams circled and the potential of retirement was still on the cards.
The Lakers were one of those teams linked to Horford earlier in free agency, with the 5x All-Star previously seen as a potential option for the purple and gold despite their addition of former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton.
Marcus Smart signing ruined Lakers chance at pursuing Al Horford
After splitting the taxpayer mid-level exception into Ayton and young wing Jake LaRavia, the Lakers still had their bi-annual exception to use in free agency. That could have allowed them to match what the Warriors are reportedly offering Horford in free agency, yet that possibility jumped straight out the window once they signed Marcus Smart to a two-year, $10.5 million contract.
Smart might be worth a gamble after a couple of injury-plagued years with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards, but you still have to question if signing the veteran guard was the right allocation of their money.
Beyond Ayton who faces plenty of question marks himself, the Lakers only have Christian Koloko and Jaxson Hayes as backup bigs. That doesn't inspire much confidence and suggests that instead of signing Smart, perhaps Los Angeles would have been better trying to persuade Horford away from whatever handshake agreement he has in place with Golden State.
The Warriors might not benefit from the Smart signing with just Horford either, having potentially avoided another free agency disaster as well. In a late July article looking at three players the Lakers should have signed at the BAE instead of Smart, Sports Illustrated's Alex Kirschenbaum listed De'Anthony Melton alongside Horford.
Now the pair are set to become teammates at the Warriors, with Melton expected to sign a veteran minimum contract once Jonathan Kuminga's future is settled. Despite the obvious connection with Golden State after signing in the Bay last offseason, perhaps Melton could have been convinced to sign in L.A. if more money was on the table.
In both instances the Warriors have the Lakers to partly thank for what is expected to be two excellent free agency signings. It will now be fascinating to see if Smart can return to somewhere near his best with the Lakers, particularly in comparison to what Horford and Melton ultimately provide the Warriors.