Al Horford agrees to 2-year, $20M extension with Celtics

Boston Celtics middle Al Horford has agreed on a two-year, $20 million contract extension that ties him to the franchise by way of his thirty ninth birthday in 2025, his agent Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports activities Administration informed ESPN on Thursday morning.

Horford, a five-time All-Star, is finishing the ultimate season of a four-year, $109 million contract. Horford will earn $26.5 million this season, with the brand new deal starting in 2023-2024.

The extension eliminates the potential of a repeat of 2019 when Horford left the Celtics for a extra profitable free company provide. Among the many potential free brokers facilities obtainable subsequent summer season embrace Indiana’s Myles Turner, Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic, Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez, Dallas’ Christian Wooden and San Antonio’s Jakob Poeltl.

Horford, 36, has had a profession revival in his second run with the Celtics, rising as an integral a part of a championship contender. Whereas Horford has remained a productive participant at his advancing age, he continues to carry a major quantity of respect contained in the locker room and within the Boston neighborhood.

Horford was most just lately an All-Star and a second-team All-Defensive group choice in 2018.

Horford’s look within the NBA Finals a season in the past ended the league’s longest playoff streak — 141 postseason video games — with out successful a convention championship, in keeping with ESPN Stats and Data.

Horford is averaging 10.9 factors and 6.3 rebounds in 31 minutes a recreation this season, anchoring the Celtics’ frontline within the absence of beginning middle Robert Williams III’s harm. Horford has shot 55.5 % from the ground, and 48.8 % on three-pointers — the third highest proportion amongst facilities, in keeping with ESPN Stats and Data.

Horford’s Sport 1 efficiency in opposition to Golden State made him solely the fourth participant within the shot-clock period to attain 25 factors on 75 % taking pictures in a Finals debut, a listing that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

No participant contested extra photographs within the 2022 NBA playoffs — 437 — than Horford, in keeping with Second Spectrum monitoring. He is one among 5 gamers to contest no less than 400 photographs in a single postseason since participant monitoring started a decade in the past.

Horford left Boston for Philadelphia on a four-year, $109 million free agent deal in 2019, landed in Oklahoma Metropolis in a commerce in 2020 till the Celtics reacquired him in 2021.

Horford, the third total decide within the 2007 NBA Draft out of Florida, performed his first 9 NBA seasons with the Atlanta Hawks earlier than leaving in free company for Boston in 2016.

Horford performed three years with the Celtics earlier than the stops with the 76ers and Thunder previous to the return in 2021.