Knicks linked to rival five-time All-Star

As they head back to the drawing board after their Eastern Conference Finals exit, the New York Knicks may be thinking about adding a longtime thorn in their side.

The Knicks could potentially be in play this summer for free agent big man Al Horford, Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported this week on “The Hoop Collective” podcast. Bontemps notes that Horford might not be back with the Boston Celtics and adds that Horford is close with Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

“I don’t think at this point it makes a lot of sense for … Horford to be back in Boston,” said Bontemps, according to HoopsHype. “Maybe he will be, but given where things are with the Celtics, I think he’s now much more in play than he might have been a month ago.

“Horford is a longtime friend of [Towns], has played with him with the Dominican national team for a long time,” continued Bontemps. “If they go get Al Horford this summer, I think [he] would be an unbelievable fit on this Knicks roster.”

Horford, a five-time NBA All-Star as well as a champion with the Celtics in 2024, does indeed fit the profile of what the Knicks might need. For one, New York struggled to find a playable third big man behind Towns and Mitchell Robinson during their playoff run this year.

While Horford is 39 years old now, he still averaged a productive 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game for Boston this season. As a 37.7 percent career three-point shooter and a strong, big-bodied low-post defender and rebounder, Horford would seem to match the Knicks’ ethos pretty well.

True, the Knicks do probably need a bigger swing in order to truly put themselves in championship contention. But with the Celtics likely to part ways with several notable names this summer, adding Horford, a longtime rival in the Atlantic Division, might be a good place for the Knicks to start.