The Los Angeles Lakers were in the hunt for a solution to their starting center spot in the 2025 offseason. They landed on Deandre Ayton. Before that was the case, there was a brief time when Al Horford was a name connected to the Lakers as a potential fix to that problem.
Michael Scotto reported at the start of free agency: "Al Horford has received interest from several contending teams since the start of free agency, including the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers."
Theoretically, the fit made sense. Horford was aging, but his last season with the Boston Celtics showcased him as a player who had remained productive. The popular thought was that any team acquiring the former NBA champion would have gotten a strong short-term stopgap at center.
The Golden State Warriors, who also needed a boost in the frontcourt, eventually won the sweepstakes for his services. With just over a month of the NBA season in the books, the Lakers are quietly really glad things wound up going the way they did.
Deandre Ayton has outperformed Al Horford in every way possible for Lakers
When it comes to pursuing aging veterans, especially of an advanced age like Horford, the problem is you really never know when the wheels are going to fall off the bus. When it comes to the offensive end, at the very least, the time has been now for the Warriors center.
Horford has been brutal when it comes to the scoring department. After remaining an effective stretch big in 2024-25 with the Celtics, the scoring efficiency has taken a nose dive for him with the Warriors.
Not getting the expected contributions from Horford is one of the many reasons as to why the Warriors have struggled out of the gates in 2025-26. Their unimpressive record has them lagging way behind the Lakers, who can only smile in the process.
Ayton has been a great addition for Los Angeles. The Lakers center has quietly been one of the most important breakout players for the team, playing a leading role in JJ Redick's squad getting out to a strong 11-4 start .
Ayton has averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game in 14 appearances for the Lakers. The 27-year-old is also shooting a career-high 69.9 percent from the field.
There is still time for Horford to turn things around in Golden State. Veterans tend to perform better as the year goes along, and they really get their feet under them. As things stand, the Lakers will be satisfied with missing out and getting Ayton instead.