Al Horford Leaving Boston Celtics may be a Blessing in Disguise

In a shocking turn of events, we learned yesterday that Al Horford will likely opt out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics, and attempt to sign a four year deal elsewhere. While many fans are shocked to hear of Horford’s departure, it may end up helping Boston in the long run.

After three years of watching Horford be the epitome of what it means to be a Celtic, it comes as a shock to see him leave Boston to chase more money. Although it is surprising to see Horford go, there are now many more possibilities that open up for the Boston Celtics, including building off of their young core to compete for championships for the next decade.

The first and most important factor is now the Celtics have opened up room for a max-salary. With Horford off the books, Boston will have anywhere from 28 to 37 million dollars in salary depending on whether or not they use their three first round draft picks. Despite there being a plethora of big name free agents who will get max contracts this year, there is one name that sticks out more than others.

D’Angelo Russell has been someone who has been linked to the Celtics even before Horford announced he would play elsewhere. In my last article linked here, you can see how Russell would be a good fit. He’s a perfect fit in Brad Stevens system and he’s one of the youngest free agents on the market. Only a year older than Jaylen Brown, and two years older than Jayson Tatum, Russell would slot in as the third member of the new youthful big three who could compete for championships throughout the next decade.

Even if Russell goes elsewhere, Boston will have backup plans. Bradley Beal would be another name that could be considered in Boston. Beal still has two years remaining on his deal, and would cost the Celtics a good amount of assets, but could be a perfect fit in Boston. In this deal, the Celtics would more than likely have to give up Brown and/or Marcus Smart to avoid a crowded back-court, and they would still have space to build around Beal.

Another name mentioned around Celtics rumors has been Rockets center Clint Capela. While Capela would not necessarily fit in the Celtics system, he would still be a good piece to build around. This could be done in a sign and trade for Horford, or Boston could offer picks and Smart and that would most-likely get a deal done for the big man.

Even if none of those trades pan out, Horford opting out still can help the Celtics. They have the salary freedom to explore signing or trading for just about anyone in the league. If the Celtics are in rebuild mode, and focusing on their youth, Horford would have hindered the team instead of helping them.

On the court it is evident that Horford is a valuable piece. The Celtics are better with him in the lineup. However, in a season in which all signs point to focusing on development instead of winning championships, Horford would only eat up younger players minutes. Whether there is a belief that Robert Williams can develop into something special, someone they sign, or their three draft picks, Horford’s 30 minutes per game will now be able to be spread out and increased the younger players time on the court.