Knicks Could Pursue Celtics Champion After Recent Boston Trades
Knicks Could Pursue Celtics Champion After Recent Boston Trades originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Lacking depth was a big reason the New York Knicks had their key players taking on a massive load of minutes in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Tom Thibodeau's coaching style was another. With Thibs out the door, bolstering the reinforcements for the Knicks' next coach will be key.
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Their hated division rivals, the Boston Celtics, could actually be a source of help here. The Celtics are undergoing a serious makeover amid a financial crunch, leaving the door open to steal their talent.
One name in particular has been brought up a couple of times as a good match for the Knicks. That player would be Al Horford.
Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet and center Al Horford walk off the court during a timeout.Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Horford is exactly the type of veteran presence any team would love to have in the rotation. The former champion knows his best days are behind him and maximizes his role in any rotation with the top attributes still available to him.
Knicks insider Ian Begley speculated, once more, that Horford moving from Boston to New York made a ton of sense. The NBA insider wrote about it in his most recent round of Knicks Notes.
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"I think the Knicks will take a look at the guard market for a bench player," Begley stated. "Also, ESPN reports that Celtics veteran Al Horford will have a robust market this offseason. I think the Knicks will also at least check in on Horford's situation in Boston."
The writer continued, "The Celtics shed salary by trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and they certainly want Horford back, but are limited in what they can offer the veteran big man."
Begley wrapped up the discussion about the situation with one final nugget.
"Just as an aside: Horford has a close relationship with Karl-Anthony Towns," the insider noted.
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Having the strong leadership of someone like Horford would give the Knicks a sense of huge reliability coming off the bench, or perhaps even in the starting lineup. The move is certainly worth exploring for New York in the coming weeks.
Related: Major Update in New York Knicks' Head Coaching Search Emerges
Related: Josh Hart Has Hilarious Reaction to Knicks Head Coaching News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
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