There is so much cruel irony in how things have unfolded between Al Horford and the Boston Celtics since he left them yet again in free agency. He left believing Golden State would be better than Boston, and he learned from both sides that he miscalculated on that front. And yet, if Boston were presented with the opportunity to bring him back, would they really say no?
After the Warriors' elimination from the postseason, Horford made it sound like he plans to return to the NBA next season, but whether that's with the Warriors remains up in the air.
Horford said he’ll take a couple weeks before deciding if he wants to pick up his option for next year. He said he and his family really enjoyed their time in the Bay. He said he is still feeling good. Sounds like he will play at least one more year — but didn’t say 100% sure yet
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 20, 2026
Horford has a player option next season. While things didn't exactly go as planned for the Warriors, Horford did perfectly fine in the understandably limited role they gave him. In 45 games, Horford put up solid numbers, averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.1% from three.
Those numbers aren't too far off from what he was putting up in Boston, even if he can't play the same role he did in his second tenure with the team. So even if one puts sentiment aside, Horford would be just fine as their backup until he proves otherwise.
Another consideration is that Horford has always gone where the money takes him. Well, guess which team has money to offer this summer?
The question is whether he's better than Nikola Vucevic going forward
Because of Horford's legacy, and because Vucevic has had some growing pains while adjusting to his role as backup, fans would likely go with the former and wouldn't think twice either.
However, Vucevic is definitely younger, has more gas left in the tank, and, when he plays, the Celtics keep playing better with him on the floor. Boston also wouldn't have to put in much effort to conserve him for the playoffs, as they (and Golden State) did with Horford.
Making it even fuzzier is that Horford recently clarified what he meant when he said that he had more reasons to leave Boston than for basketball reasons, saying that, "I knew it was time for me to move on. Nothing to do with Boston but again, following my faith, my belief. I knew I had to go elsewhere and when I looked at it, I felt like (Golden State) was a place for me to be able to do things."
Now we'll see if he still feels that way heading into the offseason. The Celtics will have the money they desperately tried to open up to keep him, but came up short. The choice isn't as straightforward as it used to be, but if Horford wants a rereunion with the Celtics, it's still hard to see how they would say no.
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