Celtics Have Made Offer to All-Star Big Man in Free Agency, Says Brad Stevens

The Boston Celtics have had an offseason full of changes. The Celtics have undergone a ton of turnover, and it has not exactly been for the better.

The Celtics had no other choice but to trade two of their key players this offseason — Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — in order to shed money and avoid the second apron for yet another season.

On top of that, they lost several of their key players in free agency — including Luke Kornet — and it is likely that they will also lose their champion big man, Al Horford.

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The Celtics' depth at center isn't as strong as it’s been in recent years — at least on paper. Boston has already made efforts to shore up the position and is expected to continue doing so throughout the offseason.

They made a push to keep both Luke Kornet and Al Horford, something team president Brad Stevens acknowledged during a press conference on Tuesday. The offer to Horford appears to still be on the table.

“We made offers to both Luke and Al,” Stevens said. “We would love to have had both of them back. I’d say that’s unlikely, and you know, the only reason I haven’t talked about Al is because that’s not final. I could probably talk about him my whole press conference and not say enough.”

Kornet and Horford were massive for the Celtics throughout their tenure.

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Kornet was in Boston for the past four-plus seasons. He established himself as a solid role player for the Celtics in his tenure in Beantown, averaging 4.9 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 blocks while shooting 65.4 percent from the field in 235 games and 14.8 minutes of action.

Horford was steady throughout what may end up being his final season in Boston. The veteran big man maximized his minutes, putting up 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from deep across 60 appearances in 27.7 minutes a night.

Overall, Horford has played seven seasons for the C's, through two stints. Losing one of these key players is tough, but possibly two is not ideal for Boston.

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