All-Star center Al Horford will decline his $30.1 million option for the 2019-20 season and is prepared to enter free agency seeking a three- or four-year deal outside of Boston, after the gulf between he and the Celtics became too great for them to close on a new deal, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Horford, 33, has been a key member of the Celtics core and a favorite of management, coaches and teammates. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Celtics this past season, his third with Boston since leaving Atlanta for a four-year, $113 million free-agent deal with Boston.
Horford has been to the Eastern Conference playoffs 11 times in his 12-year pro career. He won two national championships at the University of Florida.
The Boston Herald was first to report that Horford is unlikely to return to the Celtics.