Al Horford Opens Up on Difficult Decision to Leave Celtics

Five-time All-Star big man Al Horford will probably be best associated with his tenures on the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. He first blossomed in Atlanta after being selected with the No. 3 pick out of Florida in a loaded 2007 NBA Draft, and rode out most of his prime there. Future All-Stars Kevin Durant, Mike Conley and Joakim Noah were also in the lottery that year, and eventual three-time All-Star center Marc Gasol was picked in the second round.

But Horford was still an All-Star when he joined Boston as a free agent in 2016, the club's consolation prize when Durant shunned them to join the Golden State Warriors. Horford did leave the Celtics in 2019, joining the Philadelphia 76ers on a slight overpay, although he was quickly re-acquired by Boston just two years into that next deal.

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Now Horford, too, has abandoned the Celtics in favor of the Warriors — albeit long since Durant ditched Golden State (Durant is about to play for his third franchise since leaving the Warriors in 2019).

He agreed to a two-year, $11.7 million free agent deal with Golden State, including a $6 million player option in 2026-27.

Per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Horford explained his thinking behind leaving Boston for a second time.

"It wasn't an easy decision for me to leave Boston, but if there was the place, that was this one, and it happened and I happened to give this opportunity, so I jumped at it," Horford said.

Horford Enjoyed a Storied Run in Boston

The 6-foot-9 pro, 39, averaged 11.2 points on .484/.388/.815 shooting splits, 6.8 boards, 3.6 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals in his seven seasons with Boston. Horford was a critical contributor to the Celtics' 2024 championship, stepping in for injured starting center Kristaps Porzingis during most of the team's playoff run.

He only agreed to his deal on the eve of Warriors media day, as restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga was drawing out his contract negotiations with the team and precluding any other signings.

"It was definitely a very odd offseason, just kind of waiting and waiting and seeing what's going to happen, seeing what's going to take place," Horford said. "So just my whole focus was on my training and preparing myself and making sure that I was in the best place for when the season started."

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Horford now joins three other aging future Hall of Famers (Horford at least has a borderline case) in 37-year-old point guard Stephen Curry, 36-year-old swingman Jimmy Butler, and 35-year-old power forward Draymond Green. The Warriors finished with a 48-34 record last year and advanced to the second round, before injuries to Curry and Butler did them in.

With the additions of Horford, a healthy De'Anthony Melton (he was traded out of town after he tore his ACL six games into 2024-25) and Seth Curry this year, plus a very tradeable deal for Kuminga, Golden State at least has a fringe chance at a Western Conference Finals run. The team will be hard-pressed to beat the class of the conference, projected to be the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves — all much younger and more athletic.

"It's a great opportunity to compete and to win at a high level," Horford said Wednesday in his introductory session with the media at Chase Center. "When I think about the Warriors, I think about Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] and Steve Kerr and seeing Jimmy Butler here. What he did in that second half of the season last year after the trade and how they're playing."

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