Report: Warriors are eyeing Al Horford as a ‘top target’ in free agency
The Warriors are reportedly looking for a stretch center. Could Horford be that guy for them?
Could Al Horford leave the Celtics again?
The 39-year-old center became a free-agent Monday evening, and one Western Conference contender has reportedly been eyeing him as a “top target,” according to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.
According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors are in the market for a big man and like Horford’s potential fit with them.
“Team sources have identified a stretch center as a high priority,” Slater wrote in a recent piece. “Many in the league continue to link Al Horford to the Warriors as a preferred target.”
Horford said during his exit interview last month that it was too early to decide about his future. But now, free-agency is underway and several deals involving other players have been announced.
Horford, who spent the bulk of his early career with the Atlanta Hawks, is on his second multi-year stint with the Celtics. He signed with Boston as a free-agent in 2019 and left for Philadelphia in 2019. After brief stints with the Sixers and Thunder, the Celtics swung a trade in 2021 to bring Horford back. He helped them win their record 18th championship in 2024.
The five-time All-Star has settled into a reserve role with the Celtics, averaging nine points per game off of the bench. His 3-point shooting numbers took a dip this past season (36.3 percent vs. 41.9 percent in 2024), but his defense in clutch situations has been valuable in recent playoff series.
The Celtics have already made a pair cost cutting moves, trading Jrue Holiday to the Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks. They are still in the luxury tax thanks largely to hefty salaries for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White.
But, they have suddenly become quite thin at the center position with the absence of Porzingis. Horford and Luke Kornet are both free agents.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said bringing both players back is a priority, but the shift in the Celtics’ title chances following Jayson Tatum‘s achilles’ injury may cause players like Horford to reconsider whether Boston gives them the best chance to win next year.
There are other factors that go into free-agent decisions, such as money, location, having to relocate a family, etc. Horford has had success in Boston and reportedly seems happy in the area.
But, it’s too early to tell exactly what he’ll do once other teams come calling.
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