NBA Rumors: Horford Opting Out May Force Celtics To Aggressively Pursue Capela

The Boston Celtics are expected to shake up things with several of their stars likely to exit. After Kyrie Irving, another starter reportedly on his way out is Al Horford who may have ended his three-year tenure in Bean Town. Unless team president Danny Ainge has other plans, it is likely that the third overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft is bound to don a new jersey for the 2019-20 NBA season.

According to ESPN, Horford will be declining his $30.1 million option for next NBA season, meaning he joins a big mix of unrestricted free agents seeking bigger and new deals. And while the Celtics could try and offer the 33-year-old big man, such does not seem to be in the script for the Celtics. Also, there is that reported interest of the Celtics in Clint Capela of the Houston Rockets that may also factor in.

Horford wants a long-term deal, probably aware that his NBA playing years are dwindling. Apparently, this is something Ainge may not be ready to offer, further dousing any hope of seeing the 6-foot-10 big man back in Boston next season. Instead, he will be testing the market to see which team would be willing to give him that deal although no team has been linked to the five-time NBA All-Star as of this writing. Horford is a tested big man that could help any team in need of muscling up their frontline.

Last season, Horford averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Celtics. He has been to the NBA Eastern Conference finals 11-times and that could be something prospective teams will consider. Some teams that could come knocking include the Brooklyn Nets or the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams need added muscle so joining either could make sense.

With Ainge not too keen giving Horford that three-year pact, it somehow hints that the Celtics are serious in their pursuit of Capela from the Houston Rockets. As mentioned in a previous post, the 25th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft is younger although pales in comparison in terms of performance numbers. But at 25, there is no denying that Capella has plenty of room for improvement – making him possibly an investment for the Celtics moving forward.

If not Capela, the fact is that Boston will be looking for new and younger big men for the next NBA season. They bombed out of the Anthony Davis sweepstakes although there are the 2019 NBA Draft and free agency where they could fill up those holes.