Al Horford's intentions for next season becoming more clear (report)
The Celtics have a heap of decisions to make this offseason but some of those decisions revolve around their own free agents. Al Horford is an unrestricted free agent and is one of several Boston bigs with uncertainty surrounding them. Luke Kornet is a free agent as well and Kristaps Porzingis has been a subject of trade rumors with Boston needing to trim payroll for next season to dip under the second apron.
Horford talked earlier this spring about not only returning for another season but playing in Boston.
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'I know that I'm gonna be playing against him next season in the pros,' Horford told John Fanta of Fox Sports at the Final Four when asked about Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. 'Maybe he'll be with us,'
However, a lot has changed since those remarks in March. Boston lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles that will sidelined him for at least a large chunk of next season. That injury combined with a stunning second-round exit against the Knicks left Horford more uncertain about his future at Boston's exit interviews last month.
'I'm going to take some time here with my wife and my kids and just that,' Horford said. '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.'
When pressed about whether he planned to play next season, Horford remained noncommittal.
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'Yeah, I'm just not ready to talk about that right now,' Horford said. 'I just need some time with my wife and my family, and that's what I plan on doing these next few weeks.'
However, Michael Scotto of Hoopshype reports Monday that the 'general sense around the league and those close to Horford' is that he'll continue to play next season. Horford, 39, is expected to draw a strong market around the league for potential mid-level exception type-money in a weak free agent class. Whether Horford is looking for one final payday or would prefer to end his career in a Celtics uniform
Horford averaged 8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game last season while shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point range. The veteran has played his last four seasons in Boston after being reacquired via trade in June 2021.
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