Though they are widely anticipated to be rather inactive this summer in terms of roster additions, if the recent rumblings are correct, the OKC Thunder might want to reconsider their approach to the offseason.
During a Tuesday morning press conference, Boston Celtics general manager Brad Stevens stated that an Al Horford return is unlikely. The 39-year-old veteran remains an unrestricted free agent after spending the past four seasons in Beantown, which included a championship during the 2023-24 season.
Obviously in the twilight years of his career, should Horford wish to continue chasing titles, it doesn’t seem to make much sense for him to stay with the Celtics. Jayson Tatum will probably be out for the season due to a torn Achilles, while Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet were salary cap casualties this offseason.
With all this in mind, in the event that the former All-Star wishes to ring chase in 2025-26, there may be no better option for him than a reunion with the Thunder.
Thunder should consider signing free agent Al Horford
Oklahoma City does not currently possess an open roster spot, but the organization can easily create one by attaching a second-round pick to Ousmane Dieng in a salary dump.
The former lottery selection hasn’t shown enough consistency on the court to crack the rotation, and the Thunder are well past the era of developmental minutes. He becomes a restricted free agent next offseason anyway, so the sand in the hourglass is dwindling.
According to Spotrac, the Thunder would be $7,689,022 under the luxury tax and $15,739,022 under the first apron if they perform this salary dump deal.
OKC theoretically could offer Horford up to $14.1 million, which is the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (NTMLE). However, it’s important to delay the repeater tax for as long as possible, so ducking the luxury tax this upcoming season is crucial.
That means a one-year, $7.5 million deal would realistically be the offer on the table.
Assuming Horford agrees to this contract, should OKC actually pursue him?
Absolutely!
The Western Conference has recently loaded up on frontcourt size, so a return to the NBA Finals likely means facing a ton of double-big lineups. Horford helps in this department tremendously.
The veteran knocked down 36.6 percent of his triples across the entire season, and he’s a smart passer who avoids turnovers. Horford also brings quality rim protection and switchability on the defensive end.
Essentially, he’s a stretch-five who moves the ball, competes defensively, and has the chops to play next to a traditional center.
A bench duo of Horford and Jaylin Williams would give OKC superb lineup flexibility and simultaneously insulate the team from potential untimely injuries to Williams, Chet Holmgren, or Isaiah Hartenstein.
His postseason experience is extremely valuable, too. Only ten players across NBA history have appeared in more playoff games than Horford.
The addition also allows rookie Thomas Sorber to ease into his NBA career and learn from a future Hall-of-Famer.
Finally, signing Horford blocks other contenders like Denver and Golden State from scooping him up, and, per the rumor mill, both are aggressively pursuing him.
One advantage the Thunder have in this free agency race is previous history, as Horford played for the franchise during the 2020-21 season. He has publicly expressed that he greatly enjoyed his short stint with OKC.
Overall, it would be wise for the Thunder to seek a reunion should Horford wind up leaving Boston.