Despite being in the midst of a playoff run, Al Horford has expressed his intentions to stay in Boston following the conclusion of the season. Horford, who turns 39 in June, signed a two-year, $19.5 million extension back in December of 2022, which secured him to Boston until this summer, where he will become an unrestricted free agent.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Al Horford does not plan on retiring and would prefer to stay in Boston. Windhorst states:
“Even if Horford doesn’t re-sign — he doesn’t plan to retire and would like to return, sources said — Boston is facing a payroll, with luxury taxes, next season of $464 million, according to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks.”
This summer was always going to be a big one for the Celtics, especially for new owner Bill Chisholm, who has already had a busy summer in his first year of owning the team. There are likely going to be two key players not on the roster next season. Horford may be the easiest to move on as his contract expires this year, while the likes of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis are all signed through next season. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have also signed super-max deals that are unlikely to be moved.
If Horford decides to leave this offseason, it wouldn’t be the first time he left Boston. Back in 2019, Boston and Horford couldn’t strike a deal, which led him to join Philadelphia on a four-year, $109M deal. It didn’t last long as Horford was eventually traded to Oklahoma City before being dealt back to Boston in 2021, sending Kemba Walker to the Thunder.
The big man averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 60 games with Boston this season. Horford’s shooting splits have dipped this season as he shot his lowest ever field goal percentage (42.3%) in his career and shot 36.3% from three, which is significantly lower than his previous two years (41.9% and 44.6%).
Brad Stevens has done a great job in assembling this squad that has brought a title back to Boston, but he’s going to have a harder job this summer. If it’s up to Horford, he’d be back for another season wearing the green and white.
