A disappointing offseason is evokoing pessimism surrounding the Golden State Warriors' chances of returning to the playoffs next year, leaving a chance that the franchise could become sellers at the mid-season deadline if their season unravels before Jimmy Butler's return from injury.
If that proves the case, the Warriors could look at offloading Al Horford as a sneaky veteran trade candidate which would give the 40-year-old one more opportunity at a meaningful run with a contender.
Al Horford could be sneaky trade candidate if Warriors season falls apart
Horford signed a two-year, $14 million contract to return to Golden State before free agency. While that's a reasonable deal considering the 19-year veteran can still provide meaningful impact, it also looks a little strange given the Warriors have failed to make subsequent offseason moves that suggest their prioritizing the short term.
Horford had a strong end to last season when he was on the floor, but he was also playing with young players and on a team battling just to make the Play-In Tournament. Surely he wouldn't want to suffer a similar fate again next season, leaving the possibility that Golden State might do right by Horford and look to trade him if their situation looks dire around January or February.
Assuming he looks somewhat similar to what he did at the end of last season, there should be no shortage of contending teams interested in Horford who can still be a quality backup big capable of playing 20 minutes in a playoff rotation.
It could be part of a different approach the Warriors take at the mid-season deadline, rather than using their expiring contracts and draft assets to be buyers at a time where their year may already be over from a meaningful playoff standpoint.
Warriors could benefit from trading Al Horford mid-season
Golden State aren't going to get much for a 40-year-old Horford from a trade perspective. Even if he plays well early in the season, a second-rounder or two is probably about the best they could hope for and they'd likely want to send him somewhere he's comfortable going.
What it would do is guarantee even more cap space next offseason, rather than the possibility of Horford picking up his $7.2 million player option. This is under the assumption the Warriors would take back an expiring contract, or perhaps no salary at all to try as they try to reduce their tax bill.
The Warrios will be hoping Horford can be a strong contributor to a bounce-back season that results in a return to the playoffs, but the possibility of things going awry and a subsequent mid-season trade can't be ignored after an underwhelming summer.
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