In addition to his storied tenure on the Atlanta Hawks, Al Horford was an absolutely critical piece for the 2024 Boston Celtics championship squad.
While many had written the former Atlanta All-Star big man off, especially after bouncing around as a depth asset on the Sixers and Thunder in years prior, Boston astutely recognized that he still had a lot left in the tank.
Why then did Horford depart so abruptly, just a calendar year after winning a chip with Boston? After the Warriors-Celtics game concluded immediately following the All-Star break, Horford revealed a few inside details about the situation.
"For me, the decision, it's something that's deeper than just the basketball stuff. And it's something that at some point I'll share with people, but for me, it felt like it was the time for me to go elsewhere."
While Horford addressed some rumors, he seemingly created even more with such an ominous answer. Fans speculated about what this could mean, and there's one leading theory that could explain Horford's multi-layered wording.
The most likely culprit behind Horford leaving Boston (again)
Ultimately, the NBA is a business.
Each team has only a certain amount of cap flexibility to work with, and such a number is crunched even more narrowly when you're surrounded by teammates like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and at least the season prior, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
The Celtics realized that they had too many mouths to feed, and Horford likely wasn't very far up the totem pole. While Brown, Tatum, and White earned lucrative contract extensions with Boston, Horford was likely offered a veteran minimum by GM Brad Stevens – something that could have offended the former All-Star.
While Horford took multiple pay cuts for the Celtics to run their notorious "death lineup" of the Jays, White, Holiday, and Porzingis alongside himself, he had unequivocally earned a raise, especially in the wake of Holiday and KP's departures.
Unfortunately, Stevens likely didn't feel the same. Horford ultimately signed with the Warriors, where he is currently earning nearly double the veteran minimum over the next two seasons.
Horford clarified that he had nothing but love for the organization, as he praised coach Joe Mazzulla: "He's just running a really good program over there... that's why I feel like it's so smooth," and even hinted at a retirement tour with them: "It would definitely be a privilege to do that."
Big Al has played an instrumental role for both Boston and Atlanta in numerous successful seasons that make up an ample portion of his impressive career tapestry – it remains to be seen which franchise will be his last home before he calls it quits. Long story short, I would be shocked if it wasn't the A or Boston.