Boston Celtics Agree To 4-Year, $113 Million Deal With Al Horford
The Boston Celtics have agreed to sign Al Horford to a four-year, $113 million max deal. Here’s what it means for the Celtics moving forward.
The Boston Celtics just moved one step closer to their long shot dreams of landing Kevin Durant.
As first reported by NBA.com’s David Aldridge (with the official terms being reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski), the Celtics have agreed to sign Al Horford to a four-year, $113 million deal, beating out the incumbent Atlanta Hawks, who were desperately trying to re-sign their star center.
According to Woj, Atlanta’s last ditch attempts to bring Horford back for another five years were not enough, and despite the Hawks building solid momentum late in the game, Horford wound up choosing Boston. In the end, it may have come down to a mere $6 million:
Sources: Tremendous momentum for Hawks in final hours, w/ Horford returning and giving Hawks chance. In end, Hawks, Horford $6M total apart.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2016
Or, it might’ve just been not wanting to play with Atlanta’s new personnel:
Bottom line, Horford did not want to play with Howard. End of story
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) July 2, 2016
After agreeing to terms with Dwight Howard for a three-year, $70.5 million contract and fearing that Horford would leave, the Hawks reportedly began shopping power forward Paul Millsap.
But instead of having to fork over assets for another Atlanta star by trying to trade for Millsap, the Celtics were able to sign Horford outright, strengthening their situation for the marquee free agent of the summer: Kevin Durant.
According to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports, the timing of Horford’s commitment to Boston could not have been more perfect:
And talk about timing: I'm told the Celtics meeting with Kevin Durant in the Hamptons is still going as we speak (tweet).
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 2, 2016
Even without Durant, however, the Celtics have landed the biggest free agent of the summer so far. While the Hawks and Washington Wizards presented compelling cases for the nine-year veteran, Boston’s max offer, their collection of young talent, and the possibility of playing with KD apparently won out.
Last season in Atlanta, Horford averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game on 50.5 percent shooting. He also added a three-point shot to his arsenal, shooting 34.4 percent on his career-high 3.1 attempts per game. Before that, Horford’s career-high had been 0.5 three-point attempts per game.
As one of the most underrated defenders in the league, Horford addresses a specific area of need for the Celtics at the 5-spot, and even if Durant decides to sign with the Golden State Warriors or remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder, this signing will elevate Boston into the upper tier in the Eastern Conference.
https://twitter.com/Al_Horford/status/749381033968099329
Unintentional or not, Horford echoed the fan base’s championship expectations with his tweeted reaction. Will the Celtics be in the same tier as the Warriors, Thunder, San Antonio Spurs or Cleveland Cavaliers? Perhaps not.
But with a well-balanced, defensive core of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Al Horford and tons of role players and new rookies, the Celtics have a fine young team under Brad Stevens, not to mention a treasure trove of assets at their disposal.
How general manager Danny Ainge puts those assets to use remains to be seen, especially after a largely unsuccessful 2016 NBA Draft. But for the time being, the Celtics are one of the biggest winners of free agency — Kevin Durant or no Kevin Durant.
Cap wise, it might be concerning to give a 30-year-old center a four-year max deal on paper. But Horford has been healthy over the last two seasons, playing in 76 and 82 games.
With an average salary of $28.3 million, Horford’s deal will take up 30.1 percent of next year’s cap room. Last year, that would’ve only equated to a $21 million contract — basically just a little bit more than what Millsap was paid. In 2017-18, Horford’s average salary would be the equivalent of a $18 million deal.
Horford is not a great rebounder, but Boston’s defense was already a top-five unit last season. Most importantly, the Celtics still have the requisite cap space to give Durant a max contract as well. The addition of Horford to an already tantalizing core certainly makes Boston an even more attractive free agency destination.
For Boston, Horford on a 4-year max is a no-brainer. Huge talent upgrade, changes perception leaguewide, attractive to next FAs.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 2, 2016
This upcoming season, Boston’s defense will be downright stifling. Even better, Horford provides the Celtics with a floor spacer who will open driving lanes up for Isaiah Thomas and Boston’s other penetrators.
More hoops habit: Kevin Durant's Free Agency Destination Power Rankings
For years now the Cs have been looking for a star player to launch them back into the upper tier. They got such a player in Al Hoford, and the best part is, this could only just be the beginning.