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The Warriors have found their starting center, but it’s not exactly like he’d been hiding.
Al Horford, 39, agreed to join the Warriors on a multi-year contract, per ESPN (opens in new tab). The Warriors are set to be his fifth team in 19 NBA seasons. Given his two-way track record and play style, he should be an easy fit next to Draymond Green in Golden State’s starting front court.
Horford has been linked to the Warriors for months, and they have been expecting to add him at least since Summer League. Official business has been halted by this summer’s tense negotiations between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors, and the finalized details of Horford’s deal will have to wait until his decision.
According to ESPN, Horford verbally committed to the Warriors on Sunday. Free agent guards De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II also reportedly committed to joining the Warriors, per ESPN (opens in new tab). They have likewise been long linked to Golden State.
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None are expected to be at Monday morning’s Media Day, as players who haven’t yet put pen to paper wouldn’t be required to participate.
Horford is the biggest (pending) addition. He had reportedly considered retiring, but now will likely end his illustrious, Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Warriors at some point in the next couple years. He shared a message thanking Celtics fans on social media shortly after news broke.
Horford led the Florida Gators to back-to-back NCAA championships, has been named to five All-Star teams, one All-NBA and All-Defense team apiece, and helped the Celtics to the 2024 NBA title. Before 2022, when Boston and the Warriors met in the Finals, Horford had played the most career postseason games without reaching the championship round in NBA history.
Last year, Horford played 60 games (42 starts), averaging 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. He logged 27.7 minutes per game and didn’t play in both ends of back-to-backs to preserve his body. A mysterious illness to Kristaps Porzingis forced Boston to lean on Horford even more in the playoffs, where he played 31.6 minutes per game and struggled with the increased workload.
Still, with the right minutes management, Horford remains an effective player on each end of the court. His basketball I.Q. — on both offense and defense — coupled with his outside shooting create the profile of exactly what Golden State has been searching for at the center position.
Increasingly over the past few years, Warriors stakeholders have been vocal about scaling back Draymond Green’s minutes at the center position. The 6-foot-6 defensive maestro is 35 years old, and banging bodies with bruisers half a foot taller than him who often significantly outweigh him can take a physical tool. Going small with Green at the five is still one of the Warriors’ most dangerous weapons, but it can have diminishing returns if they go to it for extended minutes over the course of a full season.
The 6-foot-10 Horford is a solution to that problem.
No longer will Green need to start at center, as Horford’s all-around game makes him a nice pair for Green. Horford shot 39.2% from behind the 3-point arc across his four seasons in Boston on high volume (4.5 attempts per game). He can sink 3s from either corner and above the break, making spacing easier for when Green — and Jimmy Butler, an oft-hesitant outside shooter — shares the court with him. Horford should also be able to lessen some of Green’s on-ball defensive responsibilities, allowing the former Defensive Player of the Year to play more free safety.
Horford should also have trickle-down effects across the roster. His shooting range could open up driving lanes for wings like Butler and Jonathan Kuminga. His defensive versatility could ease the pressure on Golden State’s point-of-attack defenders. And his passing ability might free up Steph Curry in Steve Kerr’s free-flowing offense even more; Horford might be the best passing center the Warriors have had since Andrew Bogut.
The Warriors can reasonably expect 20 to 25 solid minutes a night out of Horford for about 60 games. Each of the team’s stars — Curry, Green and Butler — are in their late 30s, so Horford projects to be another factor for the training staff to consider how to manage through the regular season.
The financials of Horford’s deal may depend on whether Kuminga accepts the $7.9 million qualifying offer or if he decides to return on a longer-term contract.
Details of Melton and Payton’s contract are unclear, but both are minimum-level players. Rookie Will Richard is expected to join the Warriors on a multi-year deal as their 14th roster spot.
None of the commitments affect the standing offers Golden State has made to Kuminga.
This story was updated to reflect the reported commitments of De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II