The Boston Celtics are facing a youth movement with the potential departures of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford.
The latter is a bit more surprising, as it had previously been reported that Horford was leaning toward returning to Boston, even if he opted out of his current contract. But where will Horford end up if he does in fact leave the Celtics?
At the moment, Western Conference teams seem to be expressing the most interest in the veteran big man, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. The Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers are among the teams interested in Horford, per the report.
Celtics free agent big man Al Horford is expected to draw interest from the Mavericks, Lakers, and Clippers, according to league sources. @ringer @ringernba https://t.co/7e3zBkIz2L
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 19, 2019
O’Connor notes the Mavericks are considered the favorites to land Horford.
The 33-year-old always was expected to opt out of his $30.1 million player option for the 2019-20 season, but the initial reports had Horford returning to Boston on a new deal.
A four-year contract worth over $100 million is waiting for Horford in free agency, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
The belief making the front-office rounds tonight is that Al Horford already knows there’s a four-year contract worth in excess of $100 million waiting out there for him June 30 .. knowledge that led to Horford’s talks with the Celtics dissolving
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 19, 2019
Time will tell where Horford ends up, but the Celtics’ plans dramatically have changed over the past 24 hours.
