With less than three hours left before the start of free agency, the Boston Celtics find themselves at the heart of a plethora of rumors.
A potential sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets looms, per ESPN, which means the possibility of bringing back Al Horford becomes all the more likely.
League executives believe that the Celtics are the mystery team out there for Horford, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
There are some league executives that believe the "mystery team" for Al Horford is…the Boston Celtics.
But keeping Horford's rights would require a number of complicated maneuvers, including a double sign-and-trade involving Kemba Walker and Terry Rozier. It wouldn't be easy. https://t.co/dCfSQcaEc4
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 30, 2019
The center position is Boston’s glaring hole heading into July, even with the exciting addition of Walker.
The sign-and-trade deal would allow the Celtics to keep its $9.3 million mid-level exception by operating as a team over the salary cap, which makes the Horford re-signing much more plausible.
So can Boston pull off the sign-and-trade? Maybe. But that could very well be the fire behind the murmurs of the Celtics being Horford’s mystery suitor.
