Knicks Expected to Call Celtics About Champion Forward
One insider believes that the New York Knicks are seeing green on their free agency ledger.
Previewing the upcoming free agency frenzy for SNY, Ian Begley mentioned that the Knicks could add some championship panache in the form of Boston Celtics star Al Horford, who could become the latest casualty of a Beantown retooling.
"I think the Knicks will also at least check in on Horford’s situation in Boston," Begley foretold . "The Celtics shed salary by trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and they certainly want Horford back, but are limited in what they can offer the veteran big man. Just as an aside: Horford has a close relationship with Karl-Anthony Towns."
Karl-anthony Towns, Al Horford David Butler II-Imagn Images
Having turned 39 this month, Horford has been a key contributor to Boston's recent success, averaging 9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds over the past four seasons in green. That run includes two trips to the NBA Finals, the latter of which produced a five-game win over the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.
As hinted upon by Begley, Horford shares a close relationship with current Knicks center Towns, as each has been proud to profess his Dominican descent. Born in Puerto Plata, Horford originally worked with Towns when the latter working up the professional basketball ranks and Towns has considered the 2024 champion a longtime mentor.
“He really showed me how it was to be a pro first,” Towns said of Horford in 2019, per A. Sherrod Blakeley of NBC Sports Boston. “I always give a lot of my professional experience to him because he’s the one who gave me so much.”
Set to be without franchise face Jayson Tatum next season, Boston's attempts to avoid the restrictive second salary apron has forced it to say goodbye to some familiar faces: Holiday was sent to Portland while the ex-Knick Porzingis is on his way to Atlanta. Horford is set to hit free agency and could find a new home because Boston' can't afford to give him such a massive deal, not unlike the way the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein to the champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
