Celtics Insider Reveals Insight Into Al Horford's Tough Decision to Leave Boston

The Achilles tendon rupture that will likely keep six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum shelved for much or even all of 2025-26 season was a big factor, as were the team's decisions to move on from starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in separate trades.

Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints reveals that, at a media day presser on Monday, Boston team president Brad Stevens reiterated that the club did try to re-sign Horford and the Celtics' other departing center, Luke Kornet, over the summer. Stevens hinted, however, that all Boston offered the duo was a veteran's minimum deal.

Kornet beat that with a three-year, $41 million contract from the San Antonio Spurs, while Horford is expected to sign a mid-level exception contract with Golden State.

"First of all, those guys have the right to make those decisions for themselves, especially when they're unrestricted free agents," Stevens said. "Al, and you know I've been here, I was coaching and flew down to Atlanta, and was part of that group that tried to recruit Al to come here the first time [as a free agent in 2016]."

Horford's Boston Tenure

Horford was among the top prizes in free agency that summer, having established himself as a perpetual All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks. He inked a four-year, $113 deal. He declined his $30.1 million player option with the Celtics for the last year of the deal, 2019-20, and instead inked a four-season, $109 million to jump ship to Atlantic Division rivals the Philadelphia 76ers.

That union was ill-fated, however, and Horford was flipped the next offseason to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder shipped him back to Boston the next summer, helping the Celtics get off the contract of a rapidly aging Kemba Walker. He had been with Boston ever since, winning his first championship with the club in 2024.

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"We offered both Luke and Al the opportunity to stay," Stevens explained. But I think you can see where our contracts were with who signed that we were gonna be handcuffed around the aprons a little bit."

Boston signed free agents Chris Boucher, Luka Garza and Josh Minott to veteran's minimum agreements, an apparent indication of where the money would have been for Horford and Kornet.

"We gave Al an offer, but there wasn't any expectation that he wouldn't take a bigger offer elsewhere and go play 'cause that's his right," Stevens said. "And he's been great for us. We very much value our time together.”

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