There are appears to be two front-runners for Al Horford.
The Clippers and Mavericks continue to be linked to the 33-year-old forward, according to a report from the Boston Herald.
The two teams I've been hearing from last Monday for Al Horford are the Clippers and Dallas. Still think the Clips make the most sense, especially if they can land Kawhi Leonard. Dallas might be shaky on a fourth year for Al, who turned 33 earlier this month.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) June 22, 2019
Horford reportedly declined his $30.1 million player option with the Celtics for 2019-20, according to multiple reports, and he had been discussing inking a new three-year deal with the team. But, the two sides are no longer expected to come to an agreement and Horford is likely to sign elsewhere.
Horford has a chance to receive a four-year contract, worth around $112 million, this summer, according to a report from the New York Times.
Horford was a vital member of the Celtics’ rotation last season. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 36% from 3-point range.
“It’s something that I haven’t even stopped to think about,” Horford said about free agency last month (via MassLive.com). “I’ve enjoyed being here in Boston. Just have to wait and see what we’re going to do as a team. And it's steps that the management is going to do moving forward and continue to get better.”
The Celtics entered the season as the favorites to win the East but finished with a 49-33 record and were eliminated by the Bucks in five games in the conference semifinals.
“We all expected more from each other and from this group. I do believe that we gave all we had. Things just didn’t go our way," Horford said in May. "We had an up-and-down season all year and, in the playoffs, we got off to a good start and then, for whatever reason, we weren’t able to recover.
“Obviously, that’s disappointing and it hurts because we were trying to do it for Boston, for our fans, and obviously we’re disappointed. We came up way short.”
Star Kyrie Irving is set to be a free agent, as well, and his chances of re-signing with the Celtics are reportedly low.