The Atlanta Hawks and Al Horford insist that he's staying put, but the All-Star forward's name is still being thrown around in multiple NBA trade rumors.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports confirmed that despite their denials, the Atlanta Hawks management is indeed open to the possibility about shipping out Horford, who will be a free agent this off-season.
Through 49 games, the stats of Horford are a respectable 15.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. But those numbers are not mind-blowing enough for the Hawks to offer him the maximum $146-million contract that he's seeking.
"The Hawks can put together a strong offer from a financial and familiarity standpoint, but are expected to listen to teams that inquire about Horford because they don't want to risk losing him for nothing," he wrote.
Horford, meanwhile, is saying the right things as he said that he's expanding his game more to include the three-point shot in his arsenal. The numbers will also bear him out as the 6'10" Dominican forward is hitting 33.1 percent clip from the rainbow arc.
Nevertheless, teams would always be interested in a big body with a soft touch, and Horford might just be the final piece of the puzzle for a championship contender.
In other NBA trade rumors, the reeling Milwaukee Bucks (20-31) are reportedly looking to split its young core as the team allegedly gave feelers that Greg Monroe is available.
The 6-11 center is averaging a near double-double with 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds along with almost a block this year. He's also making $16.4 million in the 2015-2016 season.
For all this strengths, however, Greg Monroe is sieve on defense, and is being unfairly blamed for the Bucks' struggles this season after being one of the top defensive teams last year.
"The Bucks have made known that center Greg Monroe is available at the right price," wrote Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 18, expect the rumors to ramp up in the next few days.