Amidst a lot of rumors that he will jump ship this summer, All-Star center Al Horford said that he wants to stay with the Atlanta Hawks next season but he believes that the club has "some big decisions to make".

The 29-year-old Dominican Republic native, who will turn 30 this June, is in the final year of his five-year, $60 million contract with the Hawks. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent this July and many teams were said to be interested in getting the services of the 6-foot-10 outside shooting big man.

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The Hawks know Horford's value to their system and team president and head coach Mike Budenholzer is not about to give him up to another team or, worse, a rival.

Fortunately, Horford is on board to stay in Atlanta for the long term as he told ESPN.

"There are a lot of things that we need to address," the four-time NBA All-Star said with regards to his upcoming free-agency. "But the biggest thing for me is I feel good here. I have a great relationship with Coach. That is important to me and my teammates. Atlanta is a city that welcomed me from the first day. I like the way the team is going, I feel like we can win here."

While Horford is sincere about feeling good in Atlanta, there is also no denying that his decision will surely be about winning. For the Hawks, winning meant getting past Cleveland in the postseason.

The team was swept in the last two playoffs both times by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers even as they recorded impressive campaigns in the last two regular seasons.

"I'm sure they will talk to me at some point. Paul (Millsap) and some of our leaders, they usually run things by us. That is important to do. But they have some big decisions to make," Horford added.

With his All-Star status and experience, Horford is expected to command a maximum contract this summer. If Atlanta is keen on keeping him, and the entire core as well, then it might be difficult for the Hawks to make a significant roster improvement to finally challenge the Cavs as they will not have enough cap space to do so. 

TagsNBA Free-Agency Rumors, NBA Free-Agency Rumors 2016, al horford, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Hawks rumors