The New York Knicks had their deepest postseason run in a quarter century as they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 season. They were ultimately bounced in six games by the Indiana Pacers, however, New York appears to be on the cusp of title contention in a conference that could be wide open next season.
While fans have suggested that the team should shake things up in the offseason by splitting up their core or firing head coach Tom Thibodeau, one NBA writer believes the Knicks could make a move on the margins. Tim Bontemps appeared on “The Hoop Collective” podcast, where he suggested that New York could target Boston Celtics center Al Horford.
“Al Horford is a free agent,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps stated Sunday. “I don’t think, at this point, it makes a lot of sense for Horford to be back in Boston. Maybe he will be, but given where things are with the Celtics, I think he’s now much more in play than he might have been a month ago. Al Horford is a longtime friend of Karl(-Anthony) Towns, has played with him with the Dominican national team for a long time.”
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The Celtics are expected to be without Jayson Tatum for the entire 2025-26 season after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon. They also are projected to move on from several rotation players to get under the second apron.
While Horford will be 39 years old at the beginning of the season, he played a valuable role in Boston. The five-time All-Star averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game while shooting 42.3% from the field, 36.3% from three-point range and 89.5% from the free-throw line. Additionally, he has shown the ability — and willingness — to start and come off of the bench as he started in 42 of his 60 games played.
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