Al Horford was not ready to think about his future.
Not minutes after the Hawks were swept from the NBA playoffs by the Cavaliers for the second straight year. However, the longest-tenured Hawks player will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The center will be coveted on the open market. The Hawks have the cap space to sign the veteran to a maximum five-year deal. Those are all issues to be worked out in the coming months.
Although he may have played his last game in a Hawks uniform, on Sunday night Horford just wanted to think about one more team meeting. The Hawks will have exit interviews and locker clean out on Monday.
“I’m not thinking about that,” Horford said. “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 did answer a question about his time in Atlanta. He has been with the organization for nine seasons after being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of the University of Florida.
“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 Gator. They loved me. I really love the city.”
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