Brad Stevens opens up about Al Horford's possible return, Celtics' plans

Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald on Jul 8, 2025

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BOSTON — Most of the hay is in the barn for the Celtics this offseason.

But what about Al Horford?

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens cast doubt on the 39-year-old returning to TD Garden in green and white, as Horford continues to mull his options in free agency.

“We made offers to both Luke (Kornet) and Al,” Stevens told reporters Tuesday. “We would love to have had both of them back. I’d say that’s unlikely. And you know, the only reason I haven’t talked about Al is because that’s not final.”

Horford is reportedly considering offers from the Warriors and Lakers, while the Nuggets are also rumored to have interest. His departure would represent another hit to the Celtics’ frontcourt, which has already lost Kornet to San Antonio in free agency and Kristaps Porzingis via trade.

Horford often replaced Porzingis in the starting lineup last season, when he averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists across 60 game appearances. He spent the past four years in Boston, a stint that followed stops in Philadelphia and Oklahoma City and his first three seasons with the Celtics. In Boston, Horford made the playoffs every year and won a title, leading Stevens to believe he will be remembered forever.

“If he were to go and play somewhere else, I think, is (still) an all-time Celtic and a winner and did everything he could for this organization,” Stevens said. “Not only from the games but also how he impacted our younger players, who in a lot of ways, now have to take what they’ve learned from the Jrue (Holiday) and the Als and people like that and apply that from a leadership role.”

Without Horford, whom Jayson Tatum called his favorite teammate last year, the Celtics’ bigs are down to Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and Luka Garza. Facing significant second-apron penalties with Tatum (Achilles tear) likely sidelined next season, Stevens has seized the chance at a financial reset.

Part of that reset has included low-level signings like Garza and former Timberwolves forward Josh Minott. Neither of them were impact players for Minnesota last season, but should factor into Boston’s rotation this year. Stevens indicated he does not expect much upcoming roster movement, even though the Celtics remain above the luxury tax.

“There’ll probably be some conversations that all the teams, all 30 teams have (at NBA Summer League), but it’s a lot less than around the draft and a lot less than even around as the moratorium comes to a close,” Stevens said. “I’d say that who knows what will happen, but as far as us, we’re very comfortable with this group heading into next season.”

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are expected to lead the 2025-26 Celtics, who do not have a clear starting lineup yet.

Sharpshooter Sam Hauser remains both on the roster and a potential trade candidate to help further cut costs. One-time backup point guard Payton Pritchard could be thrust into a new starting role, as could ex-Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons. The Celtics also have Georges Niang (acquired from Atlanta), former second-round picks Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, Minott and first-round rookie Hugo Gonzalez on the wing.

Gonzalez will be front and center at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, especially following some comments teammates made Tuesday at the Auerbach Center.

“(Gonzalez) plays hard. Really hard,” Walsh told reporters. “Fans are gonna love that. He plays hard, he dives on the floor, he’s a defensive menace, and he attacks the rim with force. I think everyone knows that, but this is my first time seeing him play and being able to watch it and go against it. He got me one time. It’s been cool.”

Historically, Summer League has sparked some trade talks around the NBA. Stevens claimed the Celtics are happy with their available assets moving forward, including control of most of their future draft picks.

“We have most of our first-round picks still other than the 2029 one,” Stevens said. “We have a lot of second (-round picks) now so we have some flexibility there, and we don’t want to take away our chance to use those to become the best that we can be over the next few years just to make a move to help save money. I think that that’s been very clearly stated to me.”

He added: “We’ll continue to look at how we can make things a little bit better or tweak things around the edges and maybe something comes up in the next couple weeks, but that’s been our mindset.”

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