After considering the idea of retirement, Al Horford decided to change things last summer and leave the Boston Celtics during free agency in favor of moving to the Western Conference to join the Golden State Warriors. The 39-year-old veteran spent a total of seven seasons in Boston, split over two separate stints, and he won a championship with the franchise in 2024.
Horford’s decision to join Golden State, his fifth different organization, was a surprise to many, especially those in Boston.
He had been a veteran leader of the Celtics for years, and Horford played a key role in the team’s success during and before the championship. Although leaving Boston was obviously a difficult decision for Horford and his family, he felt as if it was time to move on and finish his career elsewhere.
As for why Horford made this decision, the Warriors big man shed some light on the topic for the first time since deciding to join Golden State over the summer. However, the exact reason why Horford left is still unclear.
“The decision, it’s something that’s much deeper than basketball stuff. And it’s something I’ll share with people at some point, but for me, it felt like it was time for me to go somewhere else,” Horford told reporters in the Warriors locker room, via Bobby Manning of CLNS. “As far as the end of my career, I don’t know. I’m always keeping it open and it would definitely be a privilege to do that (return to Boston).”
“I’m just focused on trying to finish this year out.”
The Celtics insisted on cutting salary in the offseason, which is why they traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in the summer. This philosophy continued at the trade deadline, as the Celtics went from being a second-apron team in the summer to below the luxury tax at the deadline.
Whether money played a role in Horford leaving Boston is unknown, but from his tone and the reasoning for his departure it seems as if something was going on behind the scenes that upset the veteran. Although he would not close the door to a possible return to finish his career with the Celtics, Horford made it clear that his decision was influenced by something “deeper than basketball.”
In his first game against the Celtics after signing with the Warriors, Horford recorded five points, eight rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes off the bench. The Celtics defeated the Warriors 121-110 on Thursday night.
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