Boston might not need the veteran big anymore.
Celtics' latest deal could be nail in the coffin for Al Horford's potential return originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Boston Celtics are in an offseason of change, and their latest deal might have sealed some more changes from last season.
Over the past few weeks, almost no team has had a bigger transformation than the Celtics. After trading two key starters from their 2024 title team, the Celtics have spent much of the offseason looking to find the perfect fits for a season without Jayson Tatum, who will be recovering from a torn Achilles.
Despite all of Boston’s big trades, that hasn’t led to much more luck elsewhere. The team has already lost Luke Kornet to free agency and has done little to address its center problem.
However, the team made some progress in that department on Tuesday, signing two-time champion Chris Boucher. As Celtics on SI’s Ryan Stano wrote recently, that signing could also signal the end of the Al Horford era in Boston.
Horford was also a free agent this summer, but he is yet to sign with a new team. Although most reports have linked him to the Golden State Warriors, there was still some possibility that he could return to Boston out of convenience.
With the Warriors’ offseason additions still being held up by the Jonathan Kumniga standoff, they could rub some of their “done deals” the wrong way. However, with Boucher headed to Boston, there might be no room left for Horford.
Of course, the Celtics would likely welcome Horford back with open arms if he had a sudden change of heart, but with where both sides are at in early August, it seems like a safe bet that Horford has already played his last game as a Celtic.
Category: Basketball
