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New Report on Celtics' Al Horford Decision After Two Major Trades

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt John | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 4:24 PM ET

The Boston Celtics took little time to check off one of their biggest offseason priorities: getting under the NBA's second tax apron. With that now out of the way, they can turn to their next biggest priority: keeping Al Horford.

Horford will enter unrestricted free agency this summer for the first time since 2019. The last time he was a free agent, he left the Boston Celtics for the Philadelphia 76ers. He came back to the Celtics two years later, but Horford's departure may have been what prevented them from making the NBA Finals the two years he was off the team.

The five-time All-Star is considerably older, so he isn't expected to make as much money this summer as he did six years prior. However, even though he's 39 years old, he will still have a market. Horford has built a strong legacy in Boston, but that doesn't mean he'll pass up on more money to stay.

New: A league source tells MassLive that the Celtics are expected to remain active on the trade market as free agency begins. A closer look at why, what to watch for and how Al Horford and Luke Kornet's situations factor in https://t.co/LLxgxyaRBo
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) June 27, 2025

MassLive's Brian Robb revealed that Boston's most important objective is keeping Horford and Luke Kornet. However, their effort to keep them will also mean that Boston will explore the markets of some of its current roster players.

"However, with free agency approaching and the Celtics prioritizing bringing back free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet, league sources tell MassLive that the Celtics are expected to remain active in the trade market while retooling their roster," Robb wrote. "The team is expected to explore their options with newly acquired talent like Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang and other parts of the roster including Sam Hauser."

The Celtics got under the NBA's second tax apron, but if they pay Horford and Kornet substantial money, they would cross it again, which they don't want. That will mean one or several players mentioned above could be on a new team in the coming weeks.

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

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