The Boston Celtics are pulling out all the stops to try and land Al Horford in free agency. Isaiah Thomas and the team’s brass are headed to Atlanta Friday night, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, to pitch Horford on joining the team.
The Boston Celtics are traveling to Atlanta to meet with Al Horford tonight, per sources. Isaiah Thomas and others will be there to pitch.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 1, 2016
The big man has been linked to the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards in the last 24 hours, along with Boston.
Thomas has already been in communication with Horford, though, and believes he is “very serious” about joining the Celtics.
IT on Horford's view of C's: "Very serious. I texted him other day. He’s open to opportunity, he’s a fan of my game, he likes how we play."
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) June 30, 2016
Wherever he signs, Horford will almost certainly sign for the maximum. He is one of this year’s top free agent targets in a tier below Kevin Durant, and his options are open.
Horford is multi-talented and can play either the four or five, depending on what lineup is being featured at any given time. This past year he averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Entering his 10th year, Horford would be a valuable addition to Boston’s lineup. He could also help the franchise get past the first round of the playoffs, which hasn’t been achieved since the 2011-12 season when the Celtics lost the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games to the Miami Heat.