Warriors Urged to Make Changes as Major Al Horford Issue Emerges Amid Lakers Rumors

Al Horford is still out here making headlines at age 39, and somehow, he’s become the center of the Warriors’ offseason plans. No, really. Golden State is reportedly all-in on bringing in Horford as their new veteran big man, and while that sounds great on paper, there’s a massive elephant in the room: what if the Celtics legend just retires?

This isn’t some wild Reddit rumor, either. Shams Charania himself dropped the bomb on SportsCenter—Horford is still weighing all options, including the Warriors, the Lakers… and yes, calling it a career. “It would be a surprise if he makes a final decision by this weekend,” Shams noted. Which basically means Mike Dunleavy Jr. better have a plan B ready, or else Steve Kerr’s frontcourt could be running on fumes again.

Let’s rewind for a second. Horford just finished season 18, helped the Celtics win the 2024 title, and was still putting up 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and shooting a solid 36.3% from deep. Not bad for someone old enough to have guarded prime Tim Duncan. He played nearly 28 minutes a night last season and in the playoffs. He gave Boston legit two-way minutes. But let’s not pretend the man’s not closer to his AARP card than his draft night.

So why are the Warriors going all in? According to Marc Stein, “All signs are pointing to it.” Sam Esfandiari is fully on board: “I love it… Horford as one of your 10 guys is amazing. Horford playing 40 minutes because you don’t have depth? That’s miserable.” That’s the whole catch. This could be 2014 Spurs magic—or 2023 Warriors chaos. And if history’s any indicator, we know how thin this Warriors roster gets after Game 10 of the regular season.

Tommy Gunn—aka half the brain trust behind the Warriors Twitter think tank—echoed the same sentiment: “He’s something they’ve needed since losing Otto Porter Jr. and Bjelica… Horford probably has more juice than either.” Translation: Golden State has been hunting for this archetype for two years and finally might land one. But only if Horford doesn’t ghost them for a fishing boat in the Bahamas.

Lakers and Nuggets are still lurking Al Horford

To make matters even more dramatic, the Lakers have joined the mix. They already landed DeAndre Ayton, and they want Horford as his mentor. That’s like pairing Mufasa with Simba, except Ayton occasionally naps through his defensive rotations.

Then there’s Denver. The Nuggets just watched Jonas Valanciunas bail to Greece two days after they traded for him. Now, they’re waving their $14.1 million mid-level exception like it’s a golden ticket. Denver wants Horford to back up Jokic, who, let’s be real, would probably still lead the league in assists while playing on one leg and eating Serbian pastries at halftime.

So now it’s a full-blown arms race for Al Horford—except the arms are 39 years old and powered by protein shakes and deep playoff wisdom. The Warriors want him to anchor the second unit. The Lakers want him to babysit Ayton. And the Nuggets? They just need someone who won’t retire after checking into altitude.

Even Bill Simmons, the ultimate Celtics homer, admitted on his podcast: “Horford’s going to Golden State.” And Rob Mahoney added, “That’s basically treated as a foregone conclusion around the league.” Let’s be honest—if Simmons is willing to part with a Celtic, it probably is happening.

But here’s the twist ending: Horford might just retire. Not to the Bahamas, not to Big3, but Michael Jordan-style. One calendar year off, come back in 2026 when Jayson Tatum’s Achilles is healed, and give the Celtics one last ride. He gets to rest the knees, recharge the batteries, and skip 82 games of media nonsense. Not a bad gig, honestly.

So what now for the Warriors? If Horford delays his decision and Golden State waits too long, they could lose out on other vets, again. Just ask Warriors fans still crying about Otto Porter Jr. or Nemanja Bjelica walking out the door. Remember that time they waited too long for Dwight Howard, and he never came? Exactly.

Al Horford can still help a contender win. But if Joe Lacob wants him in blue and gold, the front office better start treating this like a 24-second shot clock—not a slow-developing set.

Because at this point, Al Horford isn’t just deciding where he’s playing next. He might be deciding if he’s playing at all.