Al Horford opts out, will become UFA

[Hey Yo]

Adrian Wojnarowski
‏Verified account
@wojespn
7 minutes ago

"Boston Celtics center Al Horford will not exercise the $30.1M option on his 2019-20 contract and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN. Horford and the Celtics both have interest in working toward a new deal in July, sources tell ESPN.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1140988265169936384

[iamgine]

Al Horford is 33 years old. How much would teams really give him?

[LAmbruh]

Kyrie has destroyed that team


shame

[Haymaker]

He will probably sign for less, but he wants a 3 year contract. Might stay in Boston.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Hopefully the Cs work it out. Irving was the best player with the highest value to the league in general but Horford is the hardest guy to replace and his ability to stretch the floor, versatility on defense and passing would be sorely missed. If the Cs lose Horford on top of Irving they might not make the playoffs.
Al Horford is 33 years old. How much would teams really give him?
A Contender with 20 mil + in space that only needed a big would hand it to him. Not sure who that team is though.

[bigkingsfan]

Kings would offer him three years 70. Playoffs mode activated.

[Hey Yo]

Al Horford is 33 years old. How much would teams really give him?
He sure as hell in't going to get a better $$ offer than what his option was worth.

Sounds like a pay cut to help bring others in possibly.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Kings would offer him three years 70. Playoffs mode activated.
He could well put them over the top for a playoff berth but it's not worth leaving the Cs if it's not a championship contending team.

[Wally450]

I thought this was well known. :confusedshrug:

[Real Men Wear Green]

He sure as hell in't going to get a better $$ offer than what his option was worth.

Sounds like a pay cut to help bring others in possibly.
He'll get less per year but he'll get more years. At 34 he'll be in a worse position to get a deal with multiple years.

[bullettooth]

Is he any good? Can the Lakers get him? I heard LeBron needs every all-star on his team.

[Mask the Embiid]

https://media1.giphy.com/media/ycCD6qTrOX10TRnsxA/giphy.gif

manny98 get in here!

[PP34Deuce]

Makes sense. wants a 3-4 year 8-10M a year contract I'm guessing.

[bigkingsfan]

Makes sense. wants a 3-4 year 8-10M a year contract I'm guessing.
What? Why would he take that instead of one year 30M. :biggums:

[dbugz]

Not really a fan of his game but he proved me wrong.

I hope a contending team like Blazers (not sure about the cap situation) would sign him especially not that Nurkic isn't gonna play yet or isn't 100% healthy yet when he comes back.

[Miles and Miles]

Kings need a big and have money.

[Bosnian Sajo]

What a ****ing idiot...take the 30m, there is no team in the NBA that will give him more than 15m-18m per.


I mean seriously..

[bladefd]

What a ****ing idiot...take the 30m, there is no team in the NBA that will give him more than 15m-18m per.


I mean seriously..

He probably wants 3-4yrs of long-term guarantee. This is the last real contract he is getting before being forced to take veteran's minimum in his late 30s..

[Bosnian Sajo]

He probably wants 3-4yrs of long-term guarantee. This is the last real contract he is getting before being forced to take veteran's minimum in his late 30s..


...and what exactly is the problem with playing out the biggest salary he's ever had (and ever will have) then?

You think he's gonna get a 3-4 year deal this summer but next summer it would be vet minimum? I mean come on dude.


I can't see the Celtics giving him more than 3/60.



If he's looking at this strictly financially, it makes no sense whatsoever to opt out of 30 million at the age of 33. How can you even argue this?

[RealSkipBayless]

What a ****ing idiot...take the 30m, there is no team in the NBA that will give him more than 15m-18m per.


I mean seriously..
According to the Celtics reddit, Horford is an underrated player and is important for leadership. Talks of 3 years 20m per.

Edit: rumored 25m per https://www.reddit.com/r/bostonceltics/comments/c23027/weiss_al_horford_opting_out_as_expected_still/

[stalkerforlife]

He's about to get overpaid.

[Meticode]

Makes sense. wants a 3-4 year 8-10M a year contract I'm guessing.
It's going to be more than that. Probably around $15. But he gets a longer deal done. C's get some room money-wise.

[DMAVS41]

It's going to be more than that. Probably around $15. But he gets a longer deal done. C's get some room money-wise.

Honestly it has to be higher. 4/60 is nowhere near as good as 1/30...

Would need to be be 3/60

[NBAGOAT]

i've said it before, I can seriously see a team(likely young but playoff bound) giving him a millsap type deal that will be >20mil/yr). 3 years with a team option maybe

[MrFonzworth]

Have you guys seen his kid?

Looks a LOT like Paul Milsap...

[Meticode]

TheScore app just notified me that Horford is expected to LEAVE the Celtics. Is looking to sign a 4-year deal elsewhere. Not workout a new deal with the Celtics.

[DMAVS41]

TheScore app just notified me that Horford is expected to LEAVE the Celtics. Is looking to sign a 4-year deal elsewhere. Not workout a new deal with the Celtics.

Honestly not surprising at this point. Other teams will be able to offer more money and a better chance to win.

He's a really interesting piece on a lot of contending teams.

[Manny98]

https://i.postimg.cc/kgL37Dwx/Screenshot-20190619-004343.jpg

Hold this L Celtics, enjoy maxing out Terry Rozier :roll:

https://media.giphy.com/media/ycCD6qTrOX10TRnsxA/giphy.gif

[Meticode]

Hold this L Celtics, enjoy maxing out Terry Rozier :roll:

Technically the Celtics didn't lose or win. They traded Isaiah Thomas away for a two year rental of Kyrie on the chance he'd stay. If anything they might've been in a worse situation if they took a chance on Thomas, maxed him out, and he'd be doing what he's done most of the time since that trade...which is NOT play basketball handcuffing the organization because of that great year he had in 2017.

All in all, the Celtics made some playoff runs with Kyrie and without him. Still shows they have young talent. They just need to retool and hope Tatum that's that next step towards all-star talent without a star like Kyrie holding him back.

[DMAVS41]

Technically the Celtics didn't lose or win. They traded Isaiah Thomas away for a two year rental of Kyrie on the chance he'd stay. If anything they might've been in a worse situation if they took a chance on Thomas, maxed him out, and he'd be doing what he's done most of the time since that trade...which is NOT play basketball.

All in all, the Celtics made some playoff runs with Kyrie and without him. Still shows they have young talent. They just need to retool and hope Tatum that's that next step towards all-star talent without a star like Kyrie holding him back.

They lost on not trading Kyrie.

The writing was on the wall in the playoffs of last year...and given his incoming salary demands, injury concerns, and what the team proved without him...

Not trading him was a huge mistake.

[bladefd]

Honestly not surprising at this point. Other teams will be able to offer more money and a better chance to win.

He's a really interesting piece on a lot of contending teams.

Not surprised.. Someone on nbatv said 40% of nba players are freeagents this summer so there will be a lot of spots for signings

[DMAVS41]

Not surprised.. Someone on nbatv said 40% of nba players are freeagents this summer so there will be a lot of spots for signings

Yea, he's going to get paid.

I wonder if a team like the Blazers would do a sign/trade with the Celtics.

Something like Horford for Turner's expiring, Nurkic (great value contract), and a top 3 protected first or something.

West is wide open and Blazers are already pretty much all-in. Horford / Collins would be a great pairing imo...playing together and separately.

Boston really struggles to get free agents...so if Horford is gone anyway...a return of Nurkic and a first round pick is actually pretty damn good.

Hard to imagine the Blazers turning that down if they are still willing to spend.

Or, far more likely scenario, a team with space just signs him (Clippers make a lot of sense imo) or open up space to get him.

[NBAGOAT]

horford's gone. He has the old man game and someone will give him some money. super scalable with other talent as he defends, passes, shoots without demanding many shot attempts. Can coexist with young players as with all the shit around boston, he was never the problem.

4yrs is too much for me since you just dont want to pay a guy too much when he's past 35 but I think some team will take the risk with a team option for the last. sac and dallas seem like good fits. Even utah as a pf/backup center as a plan b or c for the jazz. idts for lakers, they need 2 guards and likely will go with a ad, lebron, kuzma front court.

[DMAVS41]

horford's gone. He has the old man game and someone will give him some money. super scalable with other talent as he defends, passes, shoots without demanding many shot attempts. Can coexist with young players as with all the shit around boston, he was never the problem.

4yrs is too much for me since you just dont want to pay a guy too much when he's past 35 but I think some team will take the risk with a team option for the last. sac and dallas seem like good fits. Even utah as a pf/backup center as a plan b or c for the jazz. idts for lakers, they need 2 guards and likely will go with a ad, lebron, kuzma front court.

He wouldn't opt out unless he knows he's getting at least 3/60 for sure.

[NBAGOAT]

He wouldn't opt out unless he knows he's getting at least 3/60 for sure.

4yrs 90 with a team option for 4th sounds a little ridiculous but is definitely possible. I kind of doubt we see a 16 type everyone's getting overpaid in fa and I think teams have learned their lessons with rim running centers. Horford is not that however, his main concern is just age

[DMAVS41]

4yrs 90 with a team option for 4th sounds a little ridiculous but is definitely possible. I kind of doubt we see a 16 type everyone's getting overpaid in fa and I think teams have learned their lessons with rim running centers. Horford is not that however, his main concern is just age

Right, but desperate teams will be willing to eat the back end.

That is why the Blazers came to mind...they have to be pursuing every angle to try and make a full on run next year.

Things might get insane on the market for a guy like Horford after a few pieces fall into place.

[NBAGOAT]

Right, but desperate teams will be willing to eat the back end.

That is why the Blazers came to mind...they have to be pursuing every angle to try and make a full on run next year.

Things might get insane on the market for a guy like Horford after a few pieces fall into place.

i think they're reluctant to trade nurkic even with the injury however. He's damn good. Horford isnt enough of an upgrade imo

[FireDavidKahn]

I'm so confused because in an article that Woj wrote on ESPN he clearly states that the two sides are done.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27004042/sources-horford-seek-deal-boston


Boston Celtics All-Star center Al Horford will decline to exercise his $30.1 million option for the 2019-20 season and seek to leave the franchise as an unrestricted free agent this summer, league sources told ESPN.

Talks on a new deal with the Celtics have perished, with too great of a gulf between what the Celtics are willing to offer and what Horford wants on a long-term deal, league sources said.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and Horford's agent, Jason Glushon, aren't expected to restart talks again, league sources said. Horford is entering free agency with the full expectation that his three-year Celtics career has ended, sources said.

[GOBB]

Al Horford doesn

[r0drig0lac]

https://media.giphy.com/media/ycCD6qTrOX10TRnsxA/giphy.gif

[CurryOverLebron]

I'd imagine this would give the Celtics cap space to.... oh right, they're paying Gordon Heyward the max.

[Hey Yo]

Marc Stein
✔
@TheSteinLine

"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
12:48 AM - Jun 19, 2019

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/06/19/rumor-al-horford-thinks-4-year-100-million-contract-awaiting-him-in-free-agency/

[Derka]

If Al's looking for 4/$100+...hey man, all the best to you.

[DMAVS41]

[QUOTE=Hey Yo]Marc Stein
✔
@TheSteinLine

"The belief making the front-office rounds tonight is that [B]Al Horford already knows there