Former five-time All-Star Boston Celtics power forward/center Al Horford has been connected to an NBA Finals enemy just hours before the official start of free agency.
Sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line that the Golden State Warriors, in desperate need of a quality big man after being utterly exposed in the frontcourt during a five-game second round defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, are circling the 6-foot-9 vet.
Horford and Boston lost a six-game NBA Finals series to Golden State in 2022, but won it all two years later against the Dallas Mavericks. Last season, they fell in the second round of the playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks.
Russell Westbrook has emerged as a potential free agent target for the Knicks and Al Horford is a top target for Golden State, league sources tell @JakeLFischer and me.
LOTS more here in this What We’re Hearing compilation as the 6 PM ET bell draws near: https://t.co/bZDtCeAViL pic.twitter.com/sgJ9aSIgjY
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2025
According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors are generally in the market for a floor-spacing center. This would mark the first time Golden State has looked to add a big man in free agency during its Stephen Curry era.
As Slater notes, just how much money the Warriors will have earmarked to sign Horford or anybody else is somewhat contingent on the fate of raw 22-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga, a restricted free agent this summer. It seems likely Kuminga could be headed elsewhere via a sign-and-trade, as Kuminga pursues a bigger role and Golden State looks to bring in more reliable depth around aging future Hall of Famers Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Despite being a backup, Horford has been Boston’s most reliable center in each of the last two playoffs. Nominal starting Kristaps Porzingis struggled with health issues during both runs, to the point where Horford started most of Boston’s Finals games. Although he is no longer in his All-NBA prime, Horford remains a solid two-way rotation piece on a contending team, even at age 39. With the 61-21 Celtics last year, the Florida product averaged 9.0 points on .423/.363/.895 shooting splits, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists a night.
Horford would give the Warriors a five-out offense with traditional center size at long last. He’s also an above-average passer at his position, an attribute Golden State head coach Steve Kerr values.
With six-time All-Star Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum doomed to miss most or even all of the 2025-26 season, and Horford’s NBA career rapidly winding up, he could be targeting a more winning situation in the short-term.
