Forward Al Horford has agreed to a multi-year discount with the Golden State Warriors, according to a league source, officially ending the Boston tenure of one of the most beloved Celtics of the last decade.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens acknowledged in July that Horford’s second stint with the Celtics had ended. Horford reportedly agreed to the framework of a discount with the Warriors earlier this summer, but it was in a holding pattern as Golden State tried to reach a resolution with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
A league source said that Jayson Tatum’s Achilles’ injury, as well as other departures, factored into Horford’s decision to leave Boston, but the source stressed that it was not an easy one for the 39-year-old big man.
On Sunday afternoon Horford posted a message to Boston on his social media accounts, along with a picture of himself celebrating the 2024 NBA title.
“From the moment we arrived, you have welcomed my family and I with open arms,” he wrote. “This chapter in my career will hold a special place in my heart. Raising Banner 18 with this city will be a moment I will always cherish. I am forever grateful for the fans and the organization. Thank you, Boston.”
In 2016, Horford kick-started the Celtics’ swift rebuild when he signed a four-year, $113-million max contract with the team. He helped Boston to the conference finals in his first two seasons and was named an All-Star in his second year.
But after the Celtics lost to the Bucks in the 2019 conference semifinals to cap a tumultuous season, Horford declined his fourth-year player option and signed with the rival 76ers, instantly turning him into the enemy and presumably ending his connection with the franchise.
The stop in Philadelphia quickly turned sour, however, and after one season Horford was traded to the Thunder, who were just in the infant stages of their own rebuild. About midway through the season Oklahoma City announced Horford was being shut down so the team could focus on developing its younger players.
That summer, in his first big move after being promoted from coach to president of basketball operations, Stevens traded former All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and a first-round pick to the Thunder for Horford, in large part to shed Walker’s max salary.
But it became clear that Horford, who was then 35, still had plenty left. He was a durable, reliable force for the Celtics over four seasons, helping them to two NBA Finals appearances and the 2024 championship.
“I could probably talk about [Horford] my whole press conference and not say enough,” Stevens said in July. “I don’t want to speak in absolute terms until an ultimate decision is made, but another guy that, if he were to go and play somewhere else, I think, is an all-time Celtic and a winner and did everything he could for this organization. Not only from the games but also how he impacted our younger players, who in a lot of ways, today have to take what they’ve learned from the Jrue [Holidays] and the Als and people like that and apply that from a leadership role.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
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