Al Horford plays 21 minutes vs. Sacramento

Horford declined his player option, but is staying with the Warriors on a two-year deal. Horford turned 40 earlier this month and is entering his 20th season in the NBA. He’ll be the 13th player in league history to reach 20 seasons. Horford’s return is the first move in securing Golden State’s frontline for the upcoming season. The organization is in talks to bring Kristaps Porzingis back on a short-term contract and expects Draymond Green to exercise his player option. A part-time player at this point of his career, Horford doesn’t carry much fantasy value. He averaged career-lows in points, rebounds and minutes last season.

One day removed from playing 28 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers, Porziņǵis is on the injury report due to a sore left ankle. If he’s unable to play on Friday, the Warriors may turn to Al Horford, who logged 22 minutes on Wednesday. That would mean more minutes for Gary Payton II as well, even though he does not share a position with Porziņǵis or Horford.

Kerr made the comments following Sunday’s regular-season finale, a loss to the Clippers in the first of two meetings between the teams over four days. None will surpass 40 minutes, but the question is how far beyond 30 minutes the veterans will go. Curry’s 29 minutes on Sunday were the most for him since returning from a case of runner’s knee, and Porziņǵis has logged 29 minutes just twice since joining the Warriors. As for Horford, he has exceeded 30 minutes just twice this season, most recently March 10 against the Bulls.

After logging 26 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Kings, Porziņǵis played 24 minutes on Sunday. The lingering question going into the Play-In Tournament is how much the 7-foot-2 center can play, especially with the Warriors needing two wins to reach the playoffs. Draymond Green (back) was not available on Sunday; getting him back for Wednesday’s rematch with the Clippers will clearly help matters in the frontcourt. But in Porziņǵis and Al Horford (5/4/2 in 19 minutes), the Warriors have two veteran post players whose minutes have been limited for most of the season.

Friday’s game will be Horford’s first since March 13, giving the Warriors a little more depth in the frontcourt. The veteran center/forward will be restricted to 15-20 minutes, limiting his value to managers in active fantasy leagues.

With Charles Bassey also expected to play, the Dubs may have a healthy big-man rotation for the first time in many games. Expect the trio to split minutes without one player seeing significantly more run than the others.

After missing Tuesday’s game due to a knee injury, Porziņǵis will not play on Thursday because of an illness. Given what he’s dealt with since last spring, the illness is a concern. As for Horford, he has been out since March 13. The Warriors have called on the likes of Malevy Leons and Charles Bassey in recent games to fill the void in the frontcourt.

Horford last appeared in a game on March 13, and as recently as March 31, he was limited to individual workouts. According to the Warriors, the veteran center was worked into some segments of Saturday’s team practice. Horford will be re-evaluated early next week; the question is whether he’ll be able to get some game action before the start of the postseason.

Horford is still being limited to individual work, but he hopes to play a few games during the regular season before the play-in tournament. They have seven games left, including two back-to-back sets. With Horford still sidelined, Kristaps Porziņǵis and Draymond Green will continue to fill the center minutes, with Quinen Post (foot) still out as well.

Horford has missed Golden State’s last seven games with a strained right soleus. While he has progressed in his recovery, the veteran center/forward will be limited to light on-court workouts and will continue his off-court rehabilitation. The new timeline basically takes Horford out of the equation for fantasy basketball this season, even for leagues that run through Week 24.