The Golden State Warriors finally secured Al Horford in free agency this past offseason, but he wasn't the only former Boston Celtics big man that Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office had their eyes on during the summer.
Luke Kornet was also reportedly a target of the Warriors as they looked to solidify their center rotation. Based on the production of both players through the first quarter of the season, perhaps the franchise should have focused on a move for Kornet first and foremost.
Luke Kornet is having more respective impact than Al Horford
According to ESPN's Anthony Slater just prior to the season opener in October, Horford was the primary target for Golden State, not to mention Kornet was out of their price range and would have rejected them anyway after signing a four-year, $40.7 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
"Horford, team sources said, was their "absolute 1A" target and no other free agent was in his vicinity. They also held a level of interest in Luke Kornet, sources said, but he signed with San Antonio out of their price range," Slater reported.
Could the Warriors have potentially prioritized Kornet instead, even if it took a sign-and-trade to try and match somewhere close to what the Spurs were able to offer? The impact of both players suggests that may have made a painful mistake, with Horford having not quite lived up to the expectations that were set upon him as a notable free agency acquisition.
The veteran center is averaging a career-low 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds, while shooting just 34.3% from the floor and 32% from 3-point range. Horford hasn't been helped by the number of back-to-backs Golden State have had to start the season, which combined with a recent injury has limited him to just 12 of the team's first 21 games.
That's also part of why the younger Kornet may have been more preferable, having proven a godsend for the Spurs recently with the absence of star big man Victor Wembanyama. The 30-year-old has subsequently started the last six games, with San Antonio winning five while Kornet has averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 blocks during the same period.
The Warriors will remain confident that Horford can eventually find a rhythm by the time the playoffs arrive, and by that point he'll be a more valuable piece than Kornet. Yet they actually have to get to the postseason first, and right now the younger former Celtic might be the better 82-game player.