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The Boston Celtics are doing a lot of work ahead of free agency with the hopes of building a championship contending team next season. One of their priorities is to re-sign veteran forward Al Horford. The Celts are reportedly making moves to put them in a position to bring him back.
Sources: The Boston Celtics are progressing towards a series of sign and trade deals to enable them to re-sign Al Horford, while also maintaining the full MLE.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 30, 2019
However…
Source close to Horford says that even after all the Celtics' cap gymnastics, he will not be winding up back in Boston.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) June 30, 2019
After the Celtics' fallout with disgruntled star Kyrie Irving, they quickly recovered from his departure and got a commitment from All-Star Kemba Walker. This was considered the first move the Celtics needed to make to convince Al Horford to come back. But the 12-year veteran's mind seems to be made up. He is no longer interested in rejoining the Celtics and will most likely end up with another team next season.
There are several teams which have reportedly showed interest in signing Big Al should he choose to walk away from the Celtics. The Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings would all love to lure him away from Boston. All these teams are relatively young, so Horford's locker room presence and consistent production on the floor will greatly help whichever team signs him.
Al Horford averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He's been a huge part of the Celtics' success over the past couple of years, and losing him would be a big blow for Boston.
But as the Celtics have shown us recently, it is possible for them to find a suitable replacement for Horford if he leaves. Whether it's in free agency or via trade, the team has the resources to make things happen in free agency.
