All eyes are on the Celtics this offseason, naturally, because they’re poised to make some trades. The C’s need to shed salary as trade rumors and speculation swirl as to what moves the front office might make this summer.
However, the Celtics have another question this summer: What will happen with their big men? Both Luke Kornet and Al Horford are free agents this offseason, adding another layer of uncertainty for the front office. Each guy is in a unique situation, too, as they were crucial parts of last year’s Celtics team.
Horford just turned 39, and if he does play next season, it would be his 19th season in the NBA. At exit interviews, Horford didn’t indicate either way on if he would return to Boston or not. Some have speculated that Horford might play another season, but not necessarily with the Celtics.
“I’m going to take some time here with my wife and my kids and just that,” Horford said at exit interviews. “But it’s not even been a day, so there’s still a lot for me to process and just feeling everything out from last night, that was difficult.”
Horford got his first NBA championship with the Celtics in 2024, getting to the mountaintop. But at this point in his career, it could be difficult to play on a team that’s not a contender. That’s where Jayson Tatum’s injury is a tough blow for the Celtics as they won’t be expected to make a deep playoff run next season.
While Horford isn’t the same player he was when he arrived back to Boston back in 2021, he was still an important contributor last season. The Celtics leaned on him when Kristaps Porzingis battled his illness during the Knicks series. Horford isn’t going to be able to give consistent starter minutes, but as he showed last season, the veteran has some productive ticks still left in his career.
Kornet is an interesting question. The 29-year-old had a breakout season as he also earned consistent playoff minutes. While he no longer shoots 3-pointers, Kornet was still effective on both ends of the court. He was one of the best contracts in the league considering he was on a veteran’s minimum deal at the time.
But Kornet played so well throughout last season he upped his price tag this summer. While it’s clear he enjoys playing in Boston, how much he could get on the open market is another factor. The Celtics do have his Bird Rights, so they can sign him to whatever contract, but again, this is an organization looking to shed salary.
Specifically when it comes to Kornet, his chemistry with Tatum was on display throughout the year. The Tatum-Kornet pick-and-roll was consistently graded as one of the best in the league, becoming a real weapon. But without Tatum, that’s another area where the equation changes at least for next season.
“Regarding going forward it’s like, I’ll figure out stuff when it kind of comes to it,” Kornet said after the C’s lost to the Knicks. “At this point, you’re just kind of trying to unwind and spend some time with family and you don’t even know what everything is gonna look like because you just got done playing. That’s kind of what it is for now.”
So while Celtics fans wonder what trades will go down in the coming weeks, there are other moving pieces at work. That’s all on the front office, plus trades could answer the frontcourt question for next season.