It's been roughly four years since the Boston Celtics rectified a mistake they never should've made and brought Al Horford back to TD Garden. It was a deal that set the wheels in motion for the Celtics to evolve from the team that was always falling short into a certified champion.
The details of the trade for Horford were officially finalized on the night of the 2025 NBA Draft when the No. 50 pick they once received was finally utilized by the New York Knicks—to trade back one spot and select Mohamed Diawara.
The No. 50 pick initially changed hands when Boston received it in the trade that sent Desmond Bane to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics then sent it to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the deal that brought Horford back to Massachusetts.
It was last moved when the Thunder packaged it in a deal for Dillon Jones, thus giving the Celtics' rival Knicks the opportunity to add a cost-efficient talent.
For as disappointing it is to ultimately help New York add a player, Boston can't feel anything but positive about this trade. Getting Horford back in the 2021 trade is one of the most important moves in modern franchise history.
Horford may not be the All-NBA or All-Defense honoree he once was, but he played an instrumental role in the Celtics ending a 16-year title drought.
Al Horford trade finalized as Knicks select Mohamed Diawara at No. 51
Boston went 36-36 in 2020-21 and inevitably found itself searching for answers during the offseason. It didn't take long to go down a familiar path, as it brought Horford back for a second stint with the team after previously losing him to free agency.
In the three years that followed, the Celtics won a championship, made two NBA Finals appearances, and embarked on three straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Suffice it to say, losing the No. 50 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was worth it based on what Horford has helped the Celtics achieve. It's entirely possible that Diawara will go on to become a high-level talent, but Boston already got what it paid for.
Prioritizing what could've been over what actually was would be nothing short of a fool's errand, especially when one considers how long the Celtics had been waiting for their success.
Boston spent 12 years trying to get back to the NBA Finals, and managed to do so during the first season after reacquiring Horford. It hadn't won a championship since 2008 before it dominated the Association from beginning to end in 2023-24.
Horford started each of the Celtics' final 15 playoff games during that run to the title, averaging 30.3 minutes per contest overall and 30.0 during the NBA Finals.
The only downside of the Horford trade is that Boston also included a 2021 first-round selection that would become All-Star center Alperen Sengun. For as disappointing as that may be, the Celtics traded a promising young prospect for a title—an exchange they would likely embrace again.
The 2021 trade for Horford ultimately cost the Celtics the chance to ask what could've been, but it gave them a chance to win the title they'd been dreaming of.