Celtics
"I think [he’s] an all-time Celtic and winner and did everything he could for this organization."
Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during game five of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Al Horford could be playing elsewhere in 2025-26. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
By Conor Ryan
July 8, 2025 | 5:40 PM
2 minutes to read
It’s been a summer of change thus far for Brad Stevens and the Celtics.
Over the span of a few weeks, the Celtics have traded away two lineup regulars in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis — while also watching Luke Kornet sign with the Spurs in free agency.
But the exodus on Causeway Street might continue this summer when it comes to veteran Al Horford, who is currently mulling his options in free agency.
Speaking to reporters at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday, Stevens acknowledged that the odds of Horford returning for an eighth season appear slim at this stage of the summer.
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“I don’t know what I can say about this or not say about it,” Stevens said about Horford’s chances of returning to the Celtics. “I mean, we made offers to both Luke and Al. We would love to have had both of them back. I’d say that’s unlikely. And the only reason I haven’t talked about Al is because I could probably talk about Al my whole press conference and not say enough.
“I don’t want to speak in absolute terms until an ultimate decision is made. But another guy that if he were to go and play somewhere else — I think [he’s] an all-time Celtic and winner and did everything he could for this organization. Not only from the games, but also how he impacted our younger players, who, in a lot of ways, now have to take what they’ve learned from the Jrues and the Als and people like that and apply that from a leadership role.”
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Even at 40 years old, Horford would offer plenty of appeal to several teams on the open market given his leadership, championship pedigree, and ability to stretch the floor as a 3-point shooter.
A steadying presence on several Celtics teams that incorporated younger franchise players over Boston’s extended contention window, Horford has averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game across his two stints with Boston. He sank 38.8 percent of his 3-point attempts over his career with Boston.
Last season, Horford appeared in 60 games (42 starts) with Boston, averaging 26.6 minutes per contest.
The Stein Line‘s Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported last week that “all signs” point to Horford inking a deal with the Warriors.
With Porzinigs, Kornet, and potentially Horford all playing elsewhere, Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman Sr., 2025 second-round pick Amari Williams, and the recently signed Luka Garza stand as the only big men currently on Boston’s roster.
“We had an incredible luxury with Luke and Neemias as our third and four centers, because I think they were both much better than that,” Stevens said of Boston’s frontcourt depth moving forward. “And I think Luke will have an amazing impact in San Antonio, and I think Neemias has a great chance to be impactful here. We’ve always liked Luka Garza from afar, and we think that he has the real physicality that’s necessary on both ends of the floor, especially on the glass, in addition to his ability to score.
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“You’ve got Amari … We think that he has a high upside. And then you can flex other guys into that center role. Tillman is more of a four, probably, but he can flex into that center role. And so we’ll have to do that by committee. That group will not be the group that people will single out, based on paper — on what they’ve done with their careers thus far — as our strongest position. But it’s up to them to prove it otherwise.”
Profile image for Conor Ryan
Conor Ryan
Sports Writer
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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