Should free-agent center Al Horford sign with the Golden State Warriors, he could have a big role for the team this season.
NBA insider predicts free-agent center’s role on Warriors originally appeared on The Sporting News
Al Horford was a top-five pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Since then, he has carved out an accomplished professional basketball career.
His crowning achievement — hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy after an NBA Finals victory — came in 2024, but he is also a five-time All-Star and was named to two postseason All-NBA teams: the league's Third Team in 2011, and the Second Defensive Team in 2018.
The veteran center is heading into his 19th NBA campaign, but it is not yet known where he might spend that season, as he, like a number of other players, remains a free agent. Retirement rumors have surrounded Horford for much of the offseason, but he has also reportedly drawn interest from the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks this offseason, according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears.
The Warriors appear to be the front-runners for Horford's signature, though, with ESPN's Anthony Slater going as far as to write that the Warriors are treating Horford "as if he is a firm part of their plan next season."
There aren't any indications that such a deal will be struck soon, especially since the Warriors' front office's top priority at the moment is resolving its ongoing contract situation with Jonathan Kuminga. But if Horford is indeed joining the Warriors for the 2025-26 season, Slater expects Horford to inherit a big role.
"Horford would slide in as the presumed starting center, lessening the regular-season load on Draymond Green, which is a priority. Horford's ability to pass and defend fits well into the Warriors' system. His ability to shoot from the center spot is something they've been sorely lacking," Slater wrote.
"Horford is 39. He hasn't been playing both sides of back-to-backs. The Warriors can't rely on him to be an every-night 25-minute option. But the desire is to have him in the lineup when it matters and open up space for five-man combinations, which would especially benefit a downhill driver like Kuminga."
Horford, in what was his final season with the Celtics, averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game across 60 regular-season contests last year.
Category: Basketball
