The Golden State Warriors just signed Al Horford away from the Boston Celtics, hurting the Los Angeles Lakers’ chances even more in a crowded Western Conference. LA has one of the better rosters out West, but the Warriors signing Horford, which was projected to happen all summer, gives them one more great team to deal with.
Last season, the Warriors made a splash at the deadline, trading for Jimmy Butler, but their playoff run was ruined by an injury to Stephen Curry. LA made a splash of their own, adding Luka Doncic in the biggest trade in NBA history. Both teams should be firmly in the playoff race next year.
And Horford definitely makes the Warriors a tougher opponent.
How will Al Horford hurt the Lakers?
Obviously, the Celtics didn’t choose to lose Horford this summer. But their flurry of offseason moves, combined with tough injury luck, led to his departure.
They traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in an attempt to duck the second apron, lost Luke Kornet to the San Antonio Spurs in free agency, and Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles in the playoffs last season.
Now, rather than wrapping up his career with the Celtics, Horford has seemingly chosen a destination where he can have a better shot at competing for a championship. But it’s going to hurt the Lakers in the process.
Heading into next year, the Lakers were already going to be fighting a tough battle in a stacked West. The Houston Rockets just got Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder are fresh off an NBA Championship, the Denver Nuggets retooled around Nikola Jokic, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have been to two straight Western Conference finals. It’s going to be tough sledding.
And now, a team that already had Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green just added one of the most dependable, floor-spacing centers of the last decade to help them on their quest.
Horford’s an incredible defender, too, so his ability to guard some of the league’s best centers while also switching onto guards will be a perfect complement to Green’s presence on that side of the ball.
Boston’s inability to retain Horford in free agency just made the Western Conference stronger, which will directly hinder the Lakers’ chances, even if it’s ever so slightly.
Horford makes the Warriors a much stronger opponent for the Lakers to have to deal with, and they have nobody but the Celtics to blame for the addition.