Remember when Al Horford ditched the Boston Celtics for what he thought were greener pastures, only for it to all blow up in his face? Yeah, 2019 was a different time. In 2026, Horford ditched the Celtics for what he thought were greener pastures, only for it all to blow up in his face again.
Except this time, it can't all be blamed on his poor fit with the team like it was in Philadelphia. No, this time, it's because he, one of the oldest NBA players, decided to join a supposed contender whose foundation was very flimsy because of its age. Combined with how well the Celtics have done without him, Horford's decision looks only worse following the latest on Stephen Curry.
ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed that Curry will be another 10 days because of his ailing knee injury.
Golden State's Stephen Curry will miss another 10 days with his ailing knee, stretching his absence to five more games and a total of 20 consecutive, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Curry has started on-court work and is aiming to intensify his workouts.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 11, 2026
The Warriors are 32-33 and are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. At this rate, their best-case scenario may be the play-in with Curry's indefinite absence. The Warriors' overall advanced age made them a risk despite their talent. That already showed itself with Jimmy Butler's ACL tear, and Curry's knee problems show they're not exempt from Father Time's cruelty.
Horford may not be the problem in Golden State like many thought he was in Philadelphia, but joining the Warriors this season is shaping up to be even worse for him than his lone season with the Sixers.
At least that team made the playoffs.
Horford could have been fighting for another title in Boston
In his defense, no one knew the Celtics would be as good as they have been this season. It's pretty amazing that they've played as well as they have while depending on the likes of Neemias Queta and Luka Garza to replace Horford's production. Coming into last fall, anyone would have laughed at such a suggestion.
If that's not enough, it was hard to know if Jayson Tatum was going to come back after suffering his Achilles tear. Maybe if Horford had known that, he would have stuck around, but when factoring in all the players the Celtics were more or less forced to desert, that made his decision easier, plus, from the horse's mouth, it sounds like more was going on behind the scenes.
Even so, Horford's decision to leave Boston yet again looks so much worse when combining the Warriors' disastrous season with the Celtics' resilient season. Boston absolutely could have used him during a time like this, and he would have still been useful for what they're trying to accomplish, even if they wouldn't have depended on him nearly as much as they have.
In the end, who knew it was Horford who would suffer from parting ways with the Celtics more than Boston at the start of the season?Again?