2024 Boston Celtics champion center Al Horford is expected to leave town for a new NBA home, after all.
Horford, who has logged seven non-consecutive seasons in Boston and become a beloved local figure, appears destined to become the latest defector for Boston this summer.
The Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in a pair of deals that netted them three second round draft picks, guard Anfernee Simons and forward Georges Niang, and helped them temporarily dip under the NBA’s second luxury tax apron.
Next, 29-year-old backup center Luke Kornet cashed in on a great 2025 playoff run to join the San Antonio Spurs as Victor Wembanyama’s backup.
Sam Hauser might not want to get too comfortable either.
But Horford appears to be aware of which way the wind is blowing, as the Celtics seem poised to regroup while their best player, six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, takes most or all of the 2025-26 season to recover from an Achilles tendon tear incurred during the playoffs.
Despite being 39 years old, Horford remains in demand as a solid floor-stretching center with an above-average passing gene for his position.
In 60 regular season bouts this year, the Florida product averaged 9.0 points on .423/.363/.895 shooting splits, 6.2 boards, 2.1 dimes, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals per bout.
So where will Horford, now an unrestricted free agent, go next? Or, as an earlier report suggested, will he just call it a career, after 18 seasons, five All-Star appearances, one All-NBA honor, one All-Defensive Team credit, and a title?
Per The Stein Line’s Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the 6-foot-9 big man has narrowed in one franchise: the Golden State Warriors.
Fourth of July fireworks?
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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 4, 2025
“All signs, for the record, continue to point to Al Horford landing with Golden State … eventually,” Stein and Fischer write. “Sunday will be the first day of the 2025-26 salary cap year that NBA teams can make most free agent signings and trades official.”
So far this summer, the Warriors have seen one of their own longtime centers, Kevon Looney, abandon the team for the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency. It’s not a great loss, as Looney proved virtually unplayable in the postseason.
Adding Horford would only make a team fronted by 37-year-old guard Stephen Curry and 35-year-old forwards Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green even older. But like that trio, he’s probably a future Hall of Famer and remains surprisingly effective even at this stage of his career.
