Al Horford plans to return to the Golden State Warriors next season, he told ESPN on Thursday.
Horford, 40, is declining his $6 million player option, with sources telling ESPN that he intends to sign a two-year, $14 million contract to return to the Warriors once free agency begins next month. Horford’s new deal will be fully guaranteed and includes a trade kicker, sources said.
He will become the 13th player in NBA history to reach a 20th season, joining LeBron James, Vince Carter, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kyle Lowry, Udonis Haslem, Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“I knew a few off the top of my head, but I hadn’t seen the list,” Horford told ESPN. “It’s hard to believe. It’s something that, for me, I’m very grateful. It’s just so hard to be in this league for that amount of years. There’s a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice and time. I still feel like I’m able to contribute and have an impact on a team.”
Horford signed with the Warriors last summer after a four-season stint with the Boston Celtics that included an NBA championship in 2024. He joined what he believed would be a Western Conference contender, but the Warriors’ season was derailed in January when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in the middle of a 12-4 stretch.
“I want to see it through,” Horford said. “That [injury] kind of put a damper on things. Jimmy is a very special player, and he was doing so much for us. I feel like things were starting to turn.”
Stephen Curry then missed two months because of lingering knee pain, and the Warriors limped to a 37-45 finish and the 10th seed in the West. Curry briefly returned for the stretch run, and the Warriors had a throwback win over the LA Clippers in the first play-in game, which included four crucial fourth-quarter 3-pointers from Horford. But they were eliminated two nights later by the Phoenix Suns and missed the playoffs.
“Me being here a year, being acclimated with [coach Steve] Kerr, with Steph, with everybody else, I feel like we can continue to take steps forward and have a better season,” Horford said.
For Horford, that also means better health and availability. He dealt with an extended sciatica issue in the opening months and a calf strain late in the season, limiting him to 45 games. Horford has been below 60 games in only four of his 19 years in the league.
To make sure his body is prepared for the regular season, Horford and the Warriors plan to craft a strength-and-conditioning program that will have him in the San Francisco area the entire offseason. The organization’s medical staff, led by Rick Celebrini, is known for its diligent approach managing veterans.
Horford also won’t participate in international competition with the Dominican national team this summer.
“I understand that we have a big opportunity in front of us,” Horford said. “I’m putting all my energy and focus into making sure that I’m the best for our team. And at 40 years old, we don’t see it as ideal to take two weeks to go play a couple games in the summertime. When we talked about it, I understood the plan.”
Horford’s return is an early checkpoint for a Warriors roster that appears as if it will remain mostly stable. General manager Mike Dunleavy is in active conversations with Kristaps Porzingis’ representation to bring back the stretch center on a short-term contract, and the Warriors have been under the recent expectation that Draymond Green is likely to return on his $27.6 million player option.
“If the group is healthy, if we’re together, I feel like we’re going to compete,” Horford said. “I don’t want to think too much ahead, but once we’re able to get Jimmy and [Moses Moody] back … we have a very competitive group and we’re going to do the best that we can.”
Moody suffered a season-ending torn left patellar tendon in March.
The Warriors selected Michigan wing Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick in the NBA draft Tuesday. Lendeborg, like Horford, is of Dominican descent, and Horford said his father, Tito, and Lendeborg’s father, Okary, played for the Dominican national team in the early 1990s.
“He’s already NBA ready,” Horford said of Lendeborg. “He’s a guy that has a big body that can score the ball, can get downhill, can put pressure on defenses. With him, with the guys we had last year, I expect that we should be in a pretty good place.”
When the regular season tips, Horford will become the first Warriors player to appear in a game at age 40 or older. He is one of only seven players in NBA history with at least 1,000 blocks and 1,000 made 3s.
Horford also doesn’t necessarily see an immediate finish line, taking a two-year deal under the anticipation that he has multiple seasons left.
“I feel really good. I’m taking care of myself,” Horford said. “The last five years, honestly, I’ve been taking it year to year. That’s been my approach. But with this two-year deal I’m signing, I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s just kind of let it rip.’ I’m not going to limit myself. As long as I feel good and I’m helping the team and we’re doing great things, we’ll keep it going.”