While some may be buzzing about the hypothetical scenario of Russell Westbrook heading to Houston to reunite with Kevin Durant on the Rockets, on Sunday afternoon, it was announced that another former OKC Thunder stud has decided to join forces with another direct conference rival.
After months of rumors regarding mutual interest, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania has broken the official news that big man Al Horford has inked a multi-year deal with the Golden State Warriors.
With this, the veteran joins Chris Paul as being a one-and-done ex-Thunder player to land a contract with a relevant conference rival this offseason.
Warriors officially add Al Horford as they aim to halt Thunder repeat
As is always the case when it comes to the reigning NBA Champion, 29 teams strewn across the association are trying to do whatever they can to dethrone the Thunder in 2025-26.
The Warriors, specifically, have been hard at work this summer to position themselves as one of Oklahoma City's more formidable foes during the upcoming title follow-up campaign.
In fact, in just the past few days, Golden State has managed to add several quality veteran role players to its arsenal.
Of course, easily the most noteworthy was the acquisition of Horford, who provides Stephen Curry and company with the highly versatile, two-way starting center they've been longing for for years.
Thunder fans are well aware of the kind of contributions the five-time All-Star can provide to a team on both ends of the court.
He spent the 2020-21 season in the Sooner State, where he posted impressive all-around averages of 14.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and just shy of a block while shooting 45.0 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from deep.
Though it may now be coming on five seasons since his brief stint with OKC, the 39-year-old clearly still has the ability to aid toward winning while playing key roles within a club's rotation.
Since his departure from the Thunder, Horford has found himself suiting up for the Boston Celtics (his second stint with the organization), where, over the last four years, he's averaged 9.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game while boasting highly efficient shooting splits of 46.8/ 39.2/ 84.2 and playing a pivotal role in the club's 2023 championship run.
Even last season, Horford was still clearly integral to the 61-win C's success, posting 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 36.3 percent shooting from distance while ranking third on the team in plus-minus (+6.6) and second in net rating (11.5).
Though the Dubs may not be seen as the biggest threat to the Thunder's repeat bid, considering they are led by the likes of Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, and are coached by the brilliant Steve Kerr, they're far from a pushover out in the Western Conference race.
The addition of the battle-tested, multi-faceted Horford to their lineup only makes this sentiment even stronger.