Could former five-time All-Star Boston Celtics champion power forward/center Al Horford rejoin Boston during a season in which the team won’t be able to compete for anything?
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The Celtics’ chances of competing for a title in 2025-26 likely ended the moment six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon, during Game 4 of an eventual six-game second-round playoff series defeat to the New York Knicks. Knowing that, team president Brad Stevens swiftly got to work dismantling his roster, just a year removed from winning it all in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Stevens traded away starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and let center Luke Kornet leave in free agency. Horford, also a free agent, appears to be the next core championship cog eyeing the door.
Horford has been linked to the Golden State Warriors for months now.
A few other NBA squads at this stage of the offseason have some mid-level exceptions through which they could sign him to non-minimum deals, but the appeal of joining a pseudo-contender (albeit in the very talented, very crowded Western Conference) appears to be swaying him in the Warriors’ direction.
In conversation with Sam Esfandiari of the “Light Years” podcast on “The Garden Report,” Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLNS revealed just how much of a chance Horford has of returning to Boston in 2025-26.
LIVE: Why Al Horford HASN’T Signed with Warriors or Any Team Yetw w/ @samesfandiari @TheGardenReport | Powered by @Prizepicks & @Gametime https://t.co/mAhTOMPITl
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) September 12, 2025
Manning suggested that there is no chance the former All-NBA and All-Defensive honoree will re-sign with Boston, noting that general manager and team president Brad Stevens even suggested way back in June that Horford was unlikely to return.
“There’s probably still some Celtics fans wondering, ‘Oh, if things don’t work out here could he end up on the Celtics?’ I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening,” Manning said, noting that Stevens “pretty much said in June he’s gone. So I do not imagine there’s a chance he’ll be on the Celtics this year.”
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Manning suggested that Horford “wants to play multiple years beyond this year.”
The 6-foot-9 Florida product was reportedly offered a deal to re-join Boston, which due to cap considerations is likely worth a veteran’s minimum. He remains a potent piece, and on the Warriors could offer a unique 3-and-D look at the center position, with real size, that the team has rarely enjoyed during the Stephen Curry era.
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