Things aren’t looking overly promising for the Boston Celtics right about now.
It seems almost certain that Kyrie Irving is going to leave for the Brooklyn Nets, while Al Horford, in a stunning turn of events, also appears destined for one of the other 29 NBA teams.
News broke Tuesday night that Horford was eyeing another destination for his next contract after reportedly opting out of his deal with the C’s earlier in the day. When it was reported he was opting out of his deal, there was a caveat that he was expected to re-sign with Boston on a new long-term deal. Obviously, that since has gone up in flames, leading many to wonder where the vet’s next stop will be (one NBA Insider had two ideas).
The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reported Tuesday night that Horford has let the Celtics know of his intent over the last few days. But given free agency does not start for a couple more weeks, that has allowed the Celtics to have at least a shred of hope they can bring Horford back.
“Free agency does not begin for two more weeks, so the timing of Horford’s news is certainly unusual,” Himmelsbach wrote. “Nevertheless, sources said, as the Celtics dive into preparations for Thursday night’s draft, they are doing so with the belief that Horford will no longer be part of their future. Given the timing, however, a league source said that the team remains hopeful it can still come to an agreement with Horford before it is too late, although few know if that time already has passed.”
That might just be wishful thinking on the Celtics’ end, as Horford is far less fickle than Irving, so it seems unlikely he’ll have a major change of heart.
But who knows? The NBA offseason always promises to be wild, so hardly anything would be surprising at this point.
