Horford sticks with Celts for stability, title chance

BOSTON -- Al Horford near the Celtics successful escaped bureau once. He had nary involvement successful doing truthful a 2nd time.

That, Horford said, was the biggest crushed helium agreed to a two-year, $20 cardinal hold Thursday to stay with the Celtics done the 2024-25 season.

"For me, I truly did privation to beryllium a portion of what we person going here," Horford said aft the Celtics held a shootaround astatine their signifier installation up of Friday night's crippled against the Miami Heat. "I felt similar maine coming backmost present past year, I felt the strides the radical started to marque and we've continued to marque strides successful the close direction.

"I consciousness similar there's a existent intent of trying to triumph and the radical that we person is conscionable a truly bully group. So, I'm blessed and we cognize we person a batch of enactment ahead. But this benignant of stability, it's hard to find."

Horford learned that the hard way. In 2019, aft spending 3 seasons successful Boston -- and reaching the Eastern Conference finals doubly -- Horford chose to articulation the Philadelphia 76ers connected a four-year, $109 cardinal contract, the last twelvemonth of which Horford is presently playing under. But aft a disastrous archetypal play successful Philadelphia successful which helium proved to beryllium an awkward acceptable with superstar large antheral Joel Embiid, Horford was wage dumped to the Oklahoma City Thunder the pursuing offseason.

After spending a twelvemonth with the Thunder -- and missing the playoffs for the archetypal clip successful his vocation -- helium was traded to the Celtics for Kemba Walker successful Brad Stevens' archetypal determination arsenic president of hoops operations.

Horford said that experience, and the joyousness helium felt past twelvemonth upon returning to the Celtics and taking portion successful the team's tally to the NBA Finals, played a important relation successful him taking little to stay successful Boston than what helium perchance could've received arsenic an unrestricted escaped agent.

"One of the things is, much than anything, you privation to beryllium successful a spot wherever you person a accidental to contend, to win," Horford said. "A spot that's, for me, much than basketball. Boston, I consciousness a existent transportation present with the radical and with what the Celtics are each about, and it's thing that conscionable truly excited me. And the information that I get that accidental and Brad believing successful maine and bringing maine here, it's thing that's special, and I'm truly grateful for the opportunity."

Horford, 36, is signed done what volition beryllium his 39th birthday. In his 16th NBA season, Horford said helium wasn't ever definite helium would person this benignant of longevity. But arsenic helium has aged, helium has go an fantabulous long-range shooter -- he's hitting astir 50% of 3-pointers this play -- a alteration helium credited to his clip with the Atlanta Hawks and executives Rick Sund and Danny Ferry and coaches Mike Budenholzer and Kenny Atkinson.

This season, Horford, who is averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds, has held down the wrong fort arsenic the Celtics await the instrumentality of antiaircraft anchor Robert Williams III from genu country that took spot conscionable earlier grooming camp.

Horford said it was important to him to wide up lingering uncertainty astir his future, and to amusement a committedness to the Celtics, who participate Friday with a league-leading 18-4 record.

"I deliberation this was thing that was going to hap astatine immoderate constituent oregon another," Horford said erstwhile asked if hold talks had been successful the works. "Like I said, determination were antithetic things that the squad had to woody with and things similar that. There was truly nary urgency, per se, but I wanted to marque definite that this didn't resistance retired until escaped bureau and the summertime and each those things and conscionable erstwhile the clip was right, to enactment this retired and conscionable absorption connected the season."