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Lakers Linked to Beloved Celtics Free-Agent Center Amid Uncertainty

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 1:45 PM ET

For fans of the team Lakers lovers hate the most--the Celtics--center Al Horford is beloved for a number of reasons. He was a veteran leader throughout the Celtics' two runs to recent NBA Finals, their unsuccessful championship bid in 2022 and their successful one in 2024. More astute Celtics fans remember that it was the signing of Horford, back in 2016, that freed the Celtics from the reputation that the organization could not land big-time free agents.

They had not done so in two decades before Horford broke that mold. Sure, there was his unsavory dalliance with the Sixers, which was a disaster all around, but the Celtics brought him back and Horford, an All-Star in 2018, has taken his place in the hearts of the locals.

But Horford is a free agent this summer. And while there is consensus that he would like to be back in Boston, and that the Celtics would like him back, there is also uncertainty around the team following the Achilles tendon injury suffered by Jayson Tatum. This Celtics team won't be a championship contender in 2025-26, and Horford wants badly to win.

That, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania, could open a door for other teams to make a bid on Horford. Yes, including the Lakers.

For one thing, the Lakers need a big man.

"That's their biggest need," ESPN's Shams Charania said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday. "Rob Pelinka has said, openly, that, 'We are going to address the center position this offseason.' They have their second-round pick in the draft tonight. They have a few tradeable salaries, as well. ...

"They're gonna have to be open-minded. How do you put the best roster possible around Luka Doncic, LeBron James, they have said they want to keep Austin Reaves as part of that big three?"

For another, going to the free-agent route, for a guy like Horford, makes sense.

"There are going to be three or four pretty notable centers," Charania said. "Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, Al Horford. And Al Horford, what's come out of Jayson Tatum potentially missing all of next season is uncertainty around Boston. And that's allowed other teams to start going after other players. ...

'Al Horford is one of those players as well. He has a pretty robust free-agency market, as well, outside of Boston, potentially."

Perhaps, even, way outside of Boston--all the way to their West Coast rivals, the Lakers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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