Golden State Warriors acquire a high-caliber center ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA season

At last, the Golden State Warriors have made their first moves in the transfer market—less than a month before the new NBA season begins.

According to journalist Shams Charania (ESPN), veteran Al Horford has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Golden State Warriors. This deal allows the 39-year-old center to continue playing in his 19th NBA season after parting ways with the Boston Celtics, where he spent the last five seasons and played a major role in their 2024 NBA championship.

The financial terms of the contract have not been disclosed. Previously, many believed Horford might retire following the Celtics’ unexpected loss of Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tendon injury and the team’s subsequent restructuring, which included trading Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to save nearly $250 million in salary and luxury tax costs. However, Horford chose to keep playing and joined the Warriors, aiming to remain competitive for titles during the final phase of Stephen Curry’s career.

Despite being 39 years old with over 1,300 games and 42,000 minutes played, Horford maintains consistent performance. Last season, he averaged 9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, along with 1.5 steals and blocks per 27.7 minutes on the court. In the playoffs, Horford particularly shined when Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined due to health issues, shooting 40% from three-point range—better than any Celtics bench player.

Horford continued to play a crucial role in the Celtics’ defensive system and ball movement, helping the team lead the NBA regular season with 61 wins and rank in the top five for both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Successfully signing Al Horford has paved the way for the Golden State Warriors to make further roster adjustments. The team re-signed Gary Payton II and De'Anthony Melton, offered a four-year contract to Will Richard, and signed a two-way contract with Alex Toohey. With these moves, Jonathan Kuminga is likely to depart soon from the Chase Center.

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