After his pre-draft workout with the Warriors on Thursday, Labaron Philon mentioned that Al Horford had been at the Chase Center “all day,” according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).
As Johnson notes, Horford has until June 29 to decide whether he wants to exercise his $6MM player option for 2026/27 or decline it to become an unrestricted free agent. Draymond Green ($27.7MM) and De’Anthony Melton ($3.5MM) hold player options for next season as well.
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Jake Fischer reported on Thursday that the Suns have had discussions about the possibility of acquiring a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. Phoenix currently only controls one second-rounder, No. 47 overall. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 hears trading into the first round isn’t a priority for the Suns and they aren’t actively engaged on that front, though he acknowledges that could change if the right opportunity arises (Twitter link).
- What should the Clippers do with the fifth overall pick? Law Murray of The Athletic considers that question, concluding that it probably makes more sense for Los Angeles to keep the selection than trade it, even though he personally doesn’t love the team’s choices based on the way the roster is currently constructed. Several guards — Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemings and Brayden Burries — are projected to go in the 5-to-10 range, Murray observes, but none seem like ideal fits alongside Darius Garland, whom the Clippers view as a “franchise player” despite his defensive limitations.
- In a similar story for The Athletic, Murray explores several draft options for the Lakers at No. 25, pointing to Chris Cenac, Tarris Reed and Zuby Ejiofor as a few big men who could make sense, since the team needs depth and athleticism up front. He also takes a look at players at other positions, including Duke’s Isaiah Evans.
