Why Boston Celtics free agent still remains unsigned

Al Horford entered this free agency with plenty of question marks on if he would return to the Celtics, sign with another team or perhaps even consider retirement. For now, all indications point to Horford likely signing with the Warriors for an opportunity to compete for a championship for the 2025-26 season.

However, Horford remains unsigned as the NBA calendar flips into August. Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Horford and other Warriors targets have been held up due to Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency. There’s been little movement on that front as no team has cap space to offer Kuminga a solid contract.

Kuminga isn’t the only restricted free agent this summer mired in uncertainty. The Bulls and Josh Giddey, along with the Nets and Cam Thomas, haven’t been able to come to terms on a contract yet. There are notable restricted free agents on the market as the summer hits the deeper parts of the offseason.

So, it’s no surprise to see Horford still remaining unsigned. There have been hints that the big man would end up in Golden State, including from Stephen Curry. While other teams were reportedly interested in Horford’s services, he’s still expected to land with the Warriors.

As the Celtics continued to compete for championships, Horford appeared to be a big part of those plans even as he stacked up the years in the NBA. But with Jayson Tatum expected to miss all of next season due to his Achilles injury, that changed the equation significantly. C’s president Brad Stevens said he would have loved Horford back but admitted that likely wasn’t in Boston’s future.

Considering Horford turned 39 this summer, it didn’t make much sense for the veteran to be on a depleted Boston squad next season. If and when Horford makes his decision, he’ll become the fourth C’s rotation player to depart from Boston this summer. The Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis away, plus they lost Luke Kornet to the Spurs in free agency.

Horford showed throughout the playoffs that he can still be a contributor even at his age. He can’t play as many minutes as in the past, but the effectiveness was still there for the most part. Considering the Warriors have multiple guys like Curry and Jimmy Butler pushing for perhaps one last chance at a deep playoff run, it’s no surprise that situation appealed to a veteran like Horford.