SAN FRANCISCO — Al Horford is coming back to the Golden State Warriors on a two-year deal, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
Horford, who turned 40 years old earlier this month, declined a player option worth about $6 million to sign the new deal. According to ESPN, which first reported the deal, the new contract includes $14 million guaranteed and trade kickers. The news — and particularly the length of the deal — comes as a surprise given that Horford struggled to stay on the floor last season. He played in just 45 games while dealing with a variety of injuries.
At his end-of-season news conference, Horford acknowledged he would take a couple weeks to decide whether he wanted to continue playing after 19 seasons in the league. Now he’s on track to become just the 13th player to play at least 20 seasons in the NBA. Horford told The Athletic before the season that he was hopeful that he would be able to finish his career with the Warriors and have one more chance to contend for a championship before his career ended, but given the current state of the Warriors’ roster — and the uncertainty surrounding Jimmy Butler’s potential return next season from an ACL injury — that seems far-fetched.
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Horford averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season and did find a better rhythm after Christmas, playing some of his best basketball of the season before another injury in March knocked him out for another long stretch.
His highlight of the year came in the Warriors Play-In win over the LA Clippers in April, as he hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Golden State come from behind late and win.
Horford’s return is another piece of a Warriors frontcourt that now includes rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick in Wednesday’s draft. Veteran Draymond Green still must decide whether to exercise his roughly $28 million player option for next season, while Kristaps Porziņģis is weighing whether to return on a new contract. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has said in recent weeks that he is optimistic both Green and Porziņģis will be back next season.
While Horford didn’t have the success on the floor he would have liked, he quickly became a popular teammate and someone many players went to for advice. It was a role the veteran big man embraced.
“I feel like I care about my teammates,” Horford explained last season “I care about the people around me. But then also, I think everybody senses and feels I always play to win.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr repeatedly praised Horford for his attitude and professionalism after Horford signed with the Warriors last offseason. Horford also repeatedly noted how comfortable his family had become in the Bay Area and how much he enjoyed the structure within the organization. Now, he has backed up that sentiment with a new deal that will keep him in Golden State even longer.
