Celtics Free Agency: Breaking Down Why Al Horford Should Return

The Boston Celtics are going to be changing a lot with their roster in the next few weeks. They have had a head start on their offseason compared to last year, when they won the title.

With the tax bill they are going to face, Brad Stevens is going to look at strategic ways to cut costs while still being able to field a competitive team. That's a hard needle to thread.

While all eyes are glued to Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday this offseason, there's another player that the Celtics would actually like to keep amid the chaos.

Al Horford is someone that the Celtics should want to bring back for another year. He is a free agent this summer and has the opportunity to sign anywhere he wants.

Despite the fact that Horford turns 39 years old today, he can still be an effective NBA player. He can still hit enough three-pointers to make the defense respect him and he's still a decent defender.

Having Horford come back on a cheap contract would be extremely valuable. If they can bring him back on the veteran's minimum, that would be ideal.

Horford's leadership would be extremely valuable for this team next season, especially when there are likely going to be so many new faces getting a lot of minutes.

At this point in his career, Horford can't play extended minutes anymore. If he plays more than 30 minutes in a game, something hasn't gone right. That doesn't mean he can't play effectively for 20 minutes off the bench.

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Horford is a player who can help stabilize the team in what will likely be a turbulent year without Tatum. He's someone who can calm the team down and get them to still win games.

Are the Celtics going to be a title contender with Tatum missing most of the year? Probably not. But the Eastern Conference is going to be bad next year, so they'll have a shot.

This past season, Horford averaged nine points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 42.3 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three.

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