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Celtics' Al Horford Breaks Silence on NBA Future

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI | By Seth Quinn | Last updated May 17, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Boston Celtics have numerous storylines heading into the offseason after losing to the New York Knicks in six games in the second round. The team was expected to potentially repeat as champions in this year's NBA playoffs, but they came well short.

While Jayson Tatum's injury and the potential roster moves for the offseason are the biggest storylines, Al Horford's playing status next season is also a huge storyline fans are monitoring.

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Horford is entering his age-39 season, but given how important he still is to the team, many are expecting he will return. However, he broke his silence on the matter, offering an unclear take on his retirement situation which should be a bit worrying to Celtics' fans.

Al Horford said “it’s too soon” to talk about his future. Said he’s going to take some time here with his wife and kids and there’s “still a lot for me to process.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 17, 2025

Using the words "too soon" and "going to take some time" doesn't indicate anything concrete, but is far from the reassuring words of a certain return many Celtics fans were hoping to hear from him.

Given Horford's age and the bleakness of the team's future currently, it would be completely understandable for Horford to retire. However, in both stints with the team, he was an invaluable piece to the roster, so everyone involved with the organization would miss him dearly.

With the team likely more reliant on younger players to develop to fill out the roster next season, having a well-respected veteran in the locker room would be extremely helpful, but even if he did retire, there is always the possibility he could remain with the organization in some other capacity.

While his value goes well beyond his play on the court, Horford did have a solid statistical season this past year. He put up nine points a game, 6.2 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game, and shot 36% from three. He also continues to show he has the versatility defensively to play both power forward and center.

While the loss of his leadership will be the main talking point if Horford does retire, the Celtics will also have a huge hole in their frontcourt that will be difficult to fill.

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Given the potential of a Luke Kornet loss in free agency and a Kristaps Porzingis trade, the entire Celtics' frontcourt could look different by next season if Horford were to retire.

It isn't talked about enough, but losing Al Horford to retirement could arguably be the biggest loss for the Celtics this offseason. Add on the Tatum injury, and the Celtics may be in line for a brutal offseason after what should have been a great year for the team.

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This article first appeared on Boston Celtics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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