The Atlanta Hawks ended their season Sunday having been swept from the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second consecutive year.
The next time the Hawks take the floor, their nucleus could look very different.
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Center Al Horford is an unrestricted free agent and is expected to garner much attention on the open market.
“I’m not thinking about that,” Horford said Sunday, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We just had a tough loss. My main priority tomorrow is to meet with the team and the coaches one last time (for the season) and go from there and figure out how we can be a better group.”
Horford may not be thinking much about the future, but the Hawks should be. Starting forward Kent Bazemore will also be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is expected to have his pick of suitors.
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The Hawks have already experienced the sting of free agency. The team lost starting small forward DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors in free agency last summer, and as a result saw their win total drop from 60 in 2014-15 to 48 this regular season.
Horford, the third overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, is not just a four-time All-Star — he’s the longest tenured Hawks player.
“It means a lot,” Horford said of Atlanta. “I’ve set up here with my family. We all live here. We live here in the summer. We live here year-round. I’m very grateful for all the people here. They have taken me in from the very first day, even though I was a (Florida) Gator. They loved me. I really love the city.”
The Hawks have to hope love will translate in their franchise big man staying put.