Al Horford’s Warriors Deal Contains 15% Trade Bonus
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Al Horford’s two-year, $12 million agreement with the Golden State Warriors includes a 15% trade kicker and a player option for the second season, league sources told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto on Monday.
Veteran Center Chose Warriors Over Retirement
Golden State entered free agency in July targeting the 39-year-old as its top option at center while Horford weighed joining the club or retiring from the NBA. The 6-foot-9 big man, who spent his first nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and the last four with the Boston Celtics, is preparing for his 19th year in the league.
Last season in Boston, Horford appeared in 60 games and started 42, averaging 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.7 minutes. He shot 42.3% from the field, 36.3% from three-point range and a career-best 89.5% at the free-throw line. Analytics company GeniusIQ credited him with allowing a 46% effective field-goal percentage on isolation possessions, the seventh-best mark in the NBA.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Horford joins Rasheed Wallace, Brook Lopez and Clifford Robinson as the only players in league history with at least 900 made three-pointers and 1,300 blocked shots.
Golden State Adds Five More Players
The Warriors also reached deals with DeAnthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Will Richard, Seth Curry and Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga resolved a summer-long contract standoff by agreeing to a two-year, $48.5 million extension.
Melton, 27, signed with Golden State last offseason, appeared in six games before tearing an ACL and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December. He averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in the 2024-25 campaign while shooting 40.7% overall and 37.1% from deep.
Payton, 32, enjoyed his healthiest season since 2021-22, playing in 62 regular-season contests and 11 playoff games for the Warriors. A vital reserve on the team’s 2022 championship run, the 6-foot-2 guard has spent most of the past five seasons under head coach Steve Kerr. Payton completed a three-year, $26 million contract originally signed with the Portland Trail Blazers, a stint that lasted just 15 games.
Source: Basketball Insiders
