As Danny Ainge and Tom Brady met with Kevin Durant in the Hamptons, the Celtics added a major piece to their roster as free agent big man Al Horford inked a four-year, $113 million deal with the C’s.
The signing of Horford is major for the Celtics, as the franchise has not been viewed as a destination for marquee free agents. The acquisition is the biggest for the Celtics since they traded for Kevin Garnett nine years ago.
Celtic Pride!!!!!! 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
— Al Horford (@Al_Horford) July 2, 2016
Adrian Wojnarowski and The Vertical had the report:
Boston met with Kevin Durant on Saturday in the Hamptons in Long Island, NY, and will try to sell Durant on joining Horford in the Celtics’ frontcourt. Durant spent part of the past week trying to persuade Horford to consider joining the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency, but Horford didn’t want to risk Durant and Russell Westbrook leaving via free agency in the next year, league sources said.
Horford and the Atlanta Hawks negotiated throughout Saturday and couldn’t close the gap on Horford’s financial demands, sources said. Horford wanted a deal in the $140 million range, and the Hawks’ final offer fell several million short, league sources said.
Horford had been considering Boston, Washington and Atlanta in the final hours, sources said. At times, sources said, Horford had been more intrigued with the possibility of aligning with the Wizards’ backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, but ended up choosing the Celtics.
Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.
