It was painful to see Al Horford leave the Boston Celtics again. He had his reasons to desert them for Golden State - the Warriors offered more money, and they had seemingly had a higher ceiling than the Celtics did - but it's such a shame to see a player with Horford's unflappable legacy with Boston skip town a second time.
Much like the first time, Horford's decision looks extremely poor in hindsight, as the Warriors have had the season from hell. It's more painful because he's not the player he was, but he is still impressively useful for his age, which means he could have helped the Celtics.
We're beating a dead horse at this point, so there's not much point in delving into what Horford hypothetically could have done for Boston or why leaving them for Golden State was a bad move. It's all to say that it could have been much worse for the Celtics had Horford committed what could have actually harmed his legacy: joining the Lakers.
Horford would have helped the Lakers
What many forget is that the Lakers wanted Horford over the offseason before he settled on the Warriors, even after they signed Deandre Ayton.
Sources tell me and @DanWoikeSports that Al Horford is also under serious consideration by the Lakers (in addition to the Warriors). As he says below, this might take some time. https://t.co/kwyL21qduv
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 1, 2025
While Golden State has had about the worst season they could have possibly anticipated from the team they assembled, the Lakers have been different. They have struggled a bit with their consistency, but they have shown how good they are in spurts, and Horford would have helped them immensely.
Ayton has been inconsistent impact-wise, so Horford would have been a steady presence with Ayton's struggles. Not to mention the Lakers could have used more defensive-oriented personnel along with a floor-spacing big man. For all the things Horford can't do anymore, he's still a high-IQ player who may have been a difference-maker for a team trying to win a title like the Lakers.
The Lakers have also struggled with injuries like the Warriors have, but they have done a better job withstanding them. It's why even amongst all the drama that's been going on, they are still firmly in the playoff picture. If they had Horford on their squad, it's fair to believe they would have a higher seed.
But it would have been a big betrayal to the Celtics.
Horford joining the Lakers would have been like Ray Allen joining the Heat
It was already bad enough to see one Celtics legend tarnish his legacy in Boston by ditching them to join LeBron (even if it was a smart move on his part), but to have two of them do that? That would have ripped up some old wounds.
There's a fair argument that Allen joining the Heat back in 2012 was precisely why he doesn't have stronger consideration to have his number retired with the Celtics despite his amazing contributions in the five years he played in Boston.
Horford has also made a compelling case to get his number retired in Boston, even if he has left them twice. Joining the Lakers would have likely put an end to all of that. It would have been depressing to see him willingly join the enemy after what he had done in Boston.
As much as it's sucked to see a deja vu from Horford this season, joining the Lakers would have twisted the knife.