With only a few days until October, the Golden State Warriors have finally made their first real move of the offseason: According to multiple reports, veteran center Al Horford has agreed to sign with the Warriors on a multi-year deal. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the news, and Horford confirmed his departure from the Boston Celtics on a social media post.
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It will be the first official signing for the Warriors, though Horford has been linked to the Warriors since free agency’s early days in July. At times, the lack of developments and public comments has caused some consternation from Warriors fans and conflicting messages from reporters.
At 39 years old, Horford joining forces with Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green will only add more fodder to the concerns about the aging Warriors roster. But the big man’s ability to shoot 3-pointers from the center position is something Golden State hasn’t had in years and has been a long-held desire from Warriors fans.
It isn’t clear when exactly Horford will sign with Golden State because of the ongoing stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga. Charania reported Horford “verbally committed” to the Warriors but the signing won’t happen until Kuminga makes his decision. In addition to Horford, the Warriors are expected to add De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and Seth Curry, Steph’s brother.
The Warriors are hosting media day on Monday to kick off training camp, with the first practice on Tuesday. It isn’t hard to see Horford’s reported signing as the Warriors sending one final message to Kuminga and his agent, who have been taking this negotiation public recently and reportedly skipped Jimmy Butler’s minicamp in San Diego. Kuminga has until Wednesday to decide whether he will sign a multi-year deal that could guarantee him around $50 million or take a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer.
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It’s truly been an offseason unlike any other for an NBA team, one that’s caused stars to reportedly go to the front office to check in on what’s happening. Now, as the offseason comes to an end and the new season nears, the Warriors are finally starting to act.
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