Al Horford's departure from the Celtics this offseason was pretty surprising, even in light of Boston's fortunes taking a turn for the worse when Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles. Horford has enjoyed many of his best years in Celtics green over the course of his career, capped off with a championship in 2024. Between that title connection and Horford's age (he turned 39 in June), it was all but assumed he would stick in Boston.
That didn't happen. Horford was a free agent all summer and eventually signed with the Warriors once the Jonathan Kuminga situation got figured out. It is a great fit talent-wise for Golden State but it was still a stunner to see Horford leave the C's one year after winning his first championship there—especially given the last time he left Boston in 2019 free agency went very poorly.
On Tuesday, with the new NBA season one week away, Horford explained why he chose to don new threads in the Bay Area and gave two fairly simple reasons: winning and money.
"I think that where Boston was as a team, even though I called them my home and everything was there for me, they just weren’t in a position to offer me the opportunity that I wanted," Horford said to The Athletic's Nick Friedell. "There was two things there. I think the financial part was a component, but more than that, it was the winning part of it, trying to contend for a championship. And I think there was a lot of things up in the air—and it just felt like they weren’t in the same, that same vision, obviously, because [Tatum] getting hurt, that takes a big toll. So I think at that point I really had to—up until then I was staying in Boston the whole time.”
The Warriors were able to use their mid-level exception on Horford and offered him a two-year deal worth $6 million annually. The Celtics, due to financial constraints, weren't able to offer Horford much more than the roughly $3 million annual veteran minimum salary. A few extra million is nothing to sneeze at. And then, obviously, Boston losing its best player tanked any hopes of championship contention this season. It also led to an aggressive disassembling of the title-winning roster, which Horford cited as a sign he didn't share the same priorities with the team any longer.
"I think once that offseason happened and it started to progress, it became clear to me the team had different priorities," he said. "Obviously, getting rid of Jrue [Holiday], getting rid of Kristaps [Porziņģis]. And I know it’s all salary stuff, but it was like a domino effect, and it was tough for me. It was a tough decision, but my wife and I, we prayed about it. I knew that it had to be something that was gonna be—that my family had to be on board with me for us to proceed in something like this. And that was it."
If Horford were a few years younger, maybe he would have been more willing to enjoy a "gap" year from competing for a title in Boston. But as he approaches 40 the veteran big man doesn't have much time to waste. He wants another championship and the Celtics, no matter how they turn out next season, are not going to be seriously in the running until Tatum is back at full health. The Warriors have their own flaws but are visibly committed to making a title run this season.
All that adds up to Horford moving from one coast to another and wearing a brand-new uniform. His first Warriors game will come on opening night against the Lakers on Oct. 21.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Al Horford Gave Two Simple Reasons Why He Left Celtics for Warriors.
