Star Warriors signing Al Horford receives major update on new contract

Alex Kirschenbaum

Star Warriors signing Al Horford receives major update on new contract image

The Golden State Warriors' big-ticket new free agent addition this summer, former five-time All-Star 3-and-D big man Al Horford, has gotten a big update on the terms of his deal with the club.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the 6-foot-9 Florida product has a 15 percent trade kicker on his fresh two-season, $12 million mid-level exception agreement with Golden State.

Horford, 39, has a player option for the 2026-27 season, which would be his 20th.

How much juice does Al Horford have left?

Will the former All-NBA standout opt to hang up his sneakers by then, even if Golden State doesn't manage to win it all in 2025-26? Time will tell.

In theory, Horford is a perfect fit for the kind of offense head coach Steve Kerr wants to run. He'll be the first high-level floor-spacing center of 11-time All-NBA Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry's career, and although he is in his dotage, Horford remains an above-average two-way big. He's also a solid passer for his position.

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7-footer Quinten Post emerged as at least an NBA-level player during his 2024-25 rookie season with the Warriors, but the team clearly wanted a defensive upgrade with Horford.

Four-time All-Star Golden State power forward Draymond Green spent much of last season as the club's starting center, a taxing gig for a 6-foot-6 vet in the midst of his age-35 season.

In 60 games last year with Boston, Horford averaged 9.0 points on .423/.363/.895 shooting splits, along with 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals.

Although he's only made one All-Defensive Team, Horford has finished among the top 13 in Defensive Player of the Year voting three times, including two top 10 finishes, most recently in 2021-22. His game on either end has eroded since then, but he remains an above-average player on both sides of the ball.

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Alex Kirschenbaum

Alex Kirschenbaum is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He grew up a devout Bulls fan, but his hoops fanaticism now extends to non-Bulls teams in adulthood. Currently also a scribe for Hoops Rumors, Sports Illustrated's On SI fan sites Newsweek and "Small Soldiers" director Joe Dante's film site Trailers From Hell, Alex is an alum of Men's Journal, Grizzlies fan site Grizzly Bear Blues and Bulls fan sites Blog-A-Bull and Pippen Ain't Easy, among others