NBA Insider says there’s a ‘decent chance’ Al Horford will leave Celtics for either Lakers or Warriors
Could the longtime Celtics big man end up in purple and gold?
Al Horford is one of few NBA players to still have a fair amount of options in terms of choosing where he’ll play next at age 39.
The free-agent forward is coming off of his second multi-year stint with the Celtics. He is drawing interest from multiple teams, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who name dropped a pair of Western Conference playoff teams as potential suitors for Horford.
“He’s valued by everybody in the league,” Windhorst said. “He has lots of different options, including retirement. But, if he does indeed decide to continue his career, the Golden State Warriors have been very aggressive trying to bring him in.”
“He would fit well anywhere, but obviously the Lakers are badly in need of a center so they’ve been involved with that too. I would expect, if he continues his career, that it’s out here on the west coach in either Golden State or LA.”
Horford has not spoken publicly about his future since his Celtics exit interview in May. He said, at the time, that it was too early to talk about his next steps. There have been a number of reports linking Horford to various teams. The Celtics were not mentioned among the top options for Horford in Windhorst’s report.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently said that keeping Horford and Luke Kornet was a priority. Kornet wound up signing a 4-year, $41 million deal with the Spurs. Rumors continue to swirl around what Horford will do.
Horford, who has been in the league since 2007, is likely nearing the end of his career. Unless he plans on playing past 40, his championship window with the Celtics appears to be closed. Jayson Tatum could end up missing a significant portion, if not all of, next season as he recovers from a torn achilles tendon.
The Celtics are in the process of reimagining their roster. They’ve offloaded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis via trade. Kornet has moved on, and Horford is still deciding.
Boston has been focused on shedding salary this offseason, so it’s unlikely they would pony up big money to keep Horford.
Horford’s ability to defend opposing stars, along with the way his 3-point shooting stretches the floor has made him a valuable asset even as he ages.
Other teams are seeing that value too, and now that he’s a free-agent several teams are reportedly interested in taking a closer look.
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