The Golden State Warriors are the front-runners in the race to sign this NBA champion from the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors threw themselves into title contention late last season following the acquisition of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler. But their championship hopes were shattered when Steph Curry went down injured in the second round of the playoffs.
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They’ll look to run it back with Curry and Butler and make one last championship charge, as Curry’s Hall of Fame career reaches his twilight. They have one of the NBA’s all-time greats and will look to capitalise – the addition of this NBA champion will be a boost to their chances.
Golden State Warriors are favourites to sign Al Horford
As reported by Marc Stein, the Warriors are the leading contenders to sign NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, Al Horford, in a move which would add to the veteran leadership of their roster.
Horford has proven to be a pivotal piece of the Celtics’ recent success. His 18 years of experience have played a huge part on one of the NBA’s most successful franchises. The five-time All-Star is valued for his veteran presence and basketball IQ, providing balance and professionalism to a locker room.
All signs point to Al Horford signing with the Golden State Warriors, per @TheSteinLine
“All signs, for the record, continue to point to Al Horford landing with Golden State … eventually. Sunday will be the first day of the 2025-26 salary cap year that NBA teams can make most… pic.twitter.com/1WrOj7CAXq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 4, 2025
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That could be crucial for this Warriors’ team. Through Butler and Draymond Green, there is huge potential for volatility in Golden State.
Both have been known to blow up teams in the past; Butler most recently in Miami, and Green played a significant role in the departures of Kevin Durant and Jordan Poole.
He could be the gel that holds this team together, as the Warriors look to add another ring to the list of countless memorable Curry moments in the NBA.
Horford is exactly what this team needs, and has proven that he can be productive on the court beyond his leadership, as acknowledged by Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick this season.
LA Lakers miss out on ‘awesome’ Al Horford
It seems like another big man has passed the Lakers by. LeBron James has been in trade rumours following the Lakers’ lack of free agency urgency, and while they have picked up Deandre Ayton at center, Horford would still have been a nice addition.
Getting Ayton following radio silence in the first few days of free agency solves some issues in the frontcourt, but Horford was still a solid option for a team in much need of some depth and size.
Their Head Coach is clearly a fan. Following the Lakers’ loss to the Celtics in March, Redick gave full credit to Horford.
Redick admitted he had game-planned to attack the 39-year-old and underestimated how good he still is.
He said after the loss, “Frankly, Al Horford’s awesome still. He still moves his feet and does a really good job defensively.”
JJ Redick was asked if “mismatch hunting” Horford and Pritchard led to their offensive stagnation in tonight’s loss to the Celtics:
“We wanted to attack their bigs in space, but we wanted to attack their smalls in tight spaces…”
“..Frankly, Al Horford’s awesome still.”@WEEI… pic.twitter.com/XGGZKFaxtt
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) March 9, 2025
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His side would really benefit from a player who can thrive on the defensive side of the ball. The signing of Ayton and the re-signing of Jaxson Hayes have done little to combat their rim-protection and rebounding flaws (neither Ayton nor Hayes exactly thrive in that department).
The story, for sure, is that the Warriors look to have added a veteran who can help them make one last charge at a champion. But the subplot – the Lakers cannot seem to solve the true source of their big man issues.