NBA Rumors: Celtics Plan To Retain Al Horford Bared; Nets Supposedly Conduit

The Boston Celtics knew that Al Horford is a hard player to replace. Most felt that the Cs easily gave up on the veteran big man. However, it appears there was a plan in place to keep him if only 33-year-old waited a bit longer.

It seems that the Celtics wanted to have Horford team up with Kemba Walker. Unfortunately, there were financial hurdles that complicated things a bit. A three-way trade involving the Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets was allegedly being cooked up at the time.

The Celtics would have gotten Walker while sending Terry Rozier to the Hornets. And then there was the Kyrie Irving trade to Brooklyn which would have included an additional asset as an incentive. But the question here was on whether the Nets were willing to go with it, NBC Sports reported.

The said three-team deal was discussed, according to the Boston Herald. The Celtics were willing to adhere to the asking price of the Nets but time was essential. As most know by now, Horford committed to the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest is history. Summing it all up, it was just too complicated to consummate.

The aftermath of it all is that the Celtics are now figuring out how to toughen up their frontline. They did get Enes Kanter to fill up the slack left by Horford. Pundits feel that they need more help in the frontline which has obviously gone thinner in talent.

Aside from that, the Celtics will need to deal with Horford once Philly and the Cs face each other. Paired with Joel Embiid, there is no question the Celtics will have a tough time with the twin tower combo. Both teams will collide on Oct. 23 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia starting at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

It will be an entirely new ballgame for the Celtics. Gordon Hayward Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are still around for head coach Brad Stevens. They will face a Sixers team that is expected to far even better this season. Aside from Embiid and Horford, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris are other players the Celtics need to be wary of.