Al Horford is on course to return to the Golden State Warriors next season, declining his $6 million player option and planning to sign a two-year, $14 million contract once free agency begins next month. At 40, he would enter his 20th NBA season, a milestone that puts him in rare company and gives Golden State another veteran piece to sort into its offseason plans.
Horford told he still believes he can help and make an impact, and that he wants to see the season through with the Warriors. He signed with them last summer after four seasons with the Boston Celtics, a run that included the NBA championship in 2024, and he said he feels settled enough now with Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry and the rest of the roster to keep building on that.
The timing matters because Horford's decision comes with free agency approaching next month, when the reported deal can become official. The structure is straightforward on the surface, but it carries weight: the contract is said to be fully guaranteed and includes a trade kicker, which gives Horford protection if the Warriors move him later. For a player nearing the end of a long career, that kind of certainty matters as much as the dollar figure.
What makes the return more striking is how much he played through last season. Horford appeared in only 45 games because of an extended sciatica issue and a calf strain late in the year, yet he still said he feels capable of contributing. He also acknowledged that Jimmy Butler's injury hurt the Warriors and that Stephen Curry missed two months with lingering knee pain, leaving Golden State at 37-45 and the 10th seed in the West before its season ended two nights after Horford hit four crucial fourth-quarter 3-pointers in a play-in win over the LA Clippers.
Horford said the Warriors and he plan to build a strength-and-conditioning program that keeps him in the San Francisco area all offseason, and he will skip international competition with the Dominican national team this summer. That choice reflects the shape of this move: Golden State is not just getting a veteran center for another season, it is asking for a full commitment to staying available. If Horford follows through, next month will mark the start of a 20th season built around continuity rather than another reset.
