Despite trading a first-round pick to get him less than a year ago, the Boston Celtics are reportedly shopping big man Al Horford in an effort to upgrade their center position.

This is actually the second time that Horford has been on the Celtics. The first stint was from 2016 to 2019, which is also the Celtics' most-recent run at the top of the NBA‘s Eastern Conference. Bringing Horford back this past offseason was supposed to bring some toughness, defense, and rebounding to a team that struggled to do so in the paint in 2020.

It simply has not worked out that way for the Celtics or for Horford, and now Boston general manager–and Horford's former head coach– Brad Stevens, is now trying to get Horford shipped to a new team before this becomes an unmitigated disaster for both sides. So, who could be in play for Horford's services? After all, he is still averaging ten points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes of playing time per night. We put our thinking cap on and came up with the three best suitors for “Big Al.”

*Note* Horford makes $27 million per year and every team in need of a big man is over the salary cap. That means that if any of these teams trade for him it will likely involve a third team that will be there just to help match the salaries. That team will likely be out of contention and eager to grab any draft picks they can.

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Three Trade destinations for Celtics big man Al Horford

3. L.A. Clippers

The Clippers come in as an obvious choice to acquire Horford because they can probably offer him the most playing time. The Clippers have recently been forced into giving big minutes to Isaiah Hartenstein and that is not what they expected when they started this season. The Clippers might be a lame-duck just sitting there this season as they wait for their stars to get back to full health, but that is where the remaining year on Horford's deal comes into play. The Clippers can exercise that and bring Horford back in 2022 to a squad that looks a lot different from the one that is currently out there.

2. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies might be one of the hottest teams in the NBA, but they are also one of the youngest. Other than veteran center Steven Adams, Memphis is full of young talent that has less than a handful of years in the league. Adams has been playing remarkably consistent basketball through 60 percent of the season, but large players tend to wear down as the season progresses more than smaller players. Also, their other big man is Jaren Jackson Jr, who is more of an outside threat than an inside threat. All the more reason for the Grizzlies to step up and acquire Horford.

1. Miami Heat

The Heat are currently the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and also have an opening that Horford could fill and keep his minutes around the same. What's more to want? A chance to get his first career NBA championship while still contributing big minutes is going to be hard to come by. Miami has recently been giving big minutes to P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo. Tucker is notoriously small for the position and Adebayo is coming off of an injury. If the Heat are willing to make a deal with their rivals up north, it could be in the best interests of both the teams and Horford in the long run.