Report: Al Horford open to new, team-friendly deal with Celtics
Apr 14, 2019; Boston, MA: Boston Celtics center Al Horford during the second half in game one of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)
Kyrie Irving isn’t the only Celtic with an uncertain Boston future.
In fact, veteran big man Al Horford could follow Irving’s lead and opt out of his current contract with the Celtics. But if and when that does happen, it’s not likely going to be for a new adventure, but rather a new, team-friendly contract that could add a couple of years to the 32-year-old’s Boston stay, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
From Bulpett:
The Celts still have to find out what Al Horford wants to do. The veteran can opt out of the approximately $29 million he has coming next year, and, according to a league source, Horford would like to stay. The source added that he’d take a more team-friendly number for next season if he can get two more years tacked on.
As of now, however, the Celtics have yet to engage in any talks with Horford or his representation.
Entering the fourth and final year of a max contract signed back in 2016, getting Horford to essentially rework his contract to a more team-friendly deal is something that legitimately only benefits the C’s, as Horford departing would not create much of anything in terms of cap space should Horford decide to leave by way of an opt out.
It would also help the Green as Horford, at this stage of his career, is not what you would consider a typical max player.
Managed carefully due to some nagging knee ailments this past season, Horford averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 68 contests for the Celtics this past season. Those 6.7 boards per game were the lowest average of his three-year run with the C’s, and the same could be said for his 29:01 per night. But Horford certainly showed his worth in the postseason, with a team-best three double-doubles while averaging over 34 minutes per night in Boston’s two-round run.
Whether or not Horford indeed opts out remains to be seen, of course, but at least there’s a definite sign that he would want to return to Boston should that happen this summer.
Which is something you certainly can’t seem to say about Irving at this point.
