Celtics sign Al Horford to a 2-year extension

bsj

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Didn't see this coming, at least for 2 years. Wondering if this is one of those contracts where the 2nd year may be more for having a contract to move later. That said, the formula works. Hopefully they can ride it out :)
 

bigq

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Can't find the details but if this is 2 years at $10M each that is a good deal for the Celtics.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory
Didn't see this coming, at least for 2 years. Wondering if this is one of those contracts where the 2nd year may be more for having a contract to move later. That said, the formula works. Hopefully they can ride it out.
He’s playing very well, will be a backup by then, cap is going up so this is going to be fine.
 

ragnarok725

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Wow, that is a surprising deal. And I think a super team friendly one?

If Al had played out this season at the level he's currently playing at, he's almost certainly getting a better deal than this in the offseason, right?

It's hard to imagine he's not at least a super useful bench piece through the span of this contract with the way he has aged thus far and his shooting. Even if he's just a deep bench chemistry guy in 24-25, 10m doesn't break the bank at all.
 

lovegtm

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Wow, that is a surprising deal. And I think a super team friendly one?

If Al had played out this season at the level he's currently playing at, he's almost certainly getting a better deal than this in the offseason, right?

It's hard to imagine he's not at least a super useful bench piece through the span of this contract with the way he has aged thus far and his shooting. Even if he's just a deep bench chemistry guy in 24-25, 10m doesn't break the bank at all.
He's made a ton of career money ~$250M), and seems happy here now. No need to squeeze extra pennies.

Fist-pump deal for the Cs; if it goes south in year 2, it's great salary ballast.
 

gammoseditor

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He's made a ton of career money ~$250M), and seems happy here now. No need to squeeze extra pennies.

Fist-pump deal for the Cs; if it goes south in year 2, it's great salary ballast.
He also left and got paid in his last deal. And he seemed miserable with two other franchises.
 

PRabbit

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Given his current level of play 15-16m per would've been a bargain, nevermind 10. Outstanding deal.
 

Lazy vs Crazy

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This is a total home run move. Great work, Brad. The only down side is you can't trade him for a year now if something comes up, but that wasn't likely anyhow.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I was convinced—before his big FA deal with Philly—that this is how Al would wind down his career given how perfect of a fit he is here. He was still too effective so the timing didn't quite line up for him to start taking Duncan discounts at that point. The funny thing is he really hasn't dipped much since then but given his age it could happen quickly. But at $10mil per year that's an easy risk. He is a pro's pro, knows what he needs to do to have his body ready, and is a bargain at this price. He is still a $20 mil player. Love this deal.
 
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Eddie Jurak

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I think a one year, $20M extension would have been a slight overpay.

Even though his offensive role has been scaled back a bit - he has a lot of games where he is just a passer/spot up shooter - they still ask a lot of him defensively.
 

ragnarok725

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He's made a ton of career money ~$250M), and seems happy here now. No need to squeeze extra pennies.

Fist-pump deal for the Cs; if it goes south in year 2, it's great salary ballast.
Sure, I think it makes sense for him. But he did spurn the Cs once for more money. And he still could have gotten more than this from the Cs in the offseason if he waited.

Not that I'm complaining. I just think he gave up a good amount to stay. And that says a lot about the culture with his teammates, management, and honestly probably says a lot about Joe as well.
 

Gash Prex

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Al was hugely underrated during his first time here and he has contributed so much to the Celtics and the organization. He has mentored the young guys and played extremely well in his role. Brad bringing him was a huge step in structing this current team.

Love this signing. Love Al. Going to retire a Celtic and be beloved here forever.
 

bigq

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Love it and love Al. Get him a ring!
Exactly. He knows his time is running out and this team which he genuinely seems to love is his best chance to get a ring. So close last year. I hope he gets two.
 

Cellar-Door

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This would seem to allow the possibility of adding Poeltl to the mix and Al moving to a bench role.
I don't think this has any real impact on trying to get Poeltl (a UFA to be), probably more about Grant's next deal. He's playing well, and you're more willing to match a RFA offer if you know you have Al and TL locked in cheap.
 

ugmo33

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If I were Al, I would think my floor after next season is probably 2 years for $20 million (total). From the team's perspective, maybe restructuring the deal and pushing some of the 2022-2023 money into the later years might be helpful.
Good call!
 

Jimbodandy

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So glad to see this extension. No brainer. Great dude. Great fit. And the money is a bargain for what he does. This is high MLE money for a super valuable guy for what we want to do. IBWT.
 

Koufax

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When Brad moved upstairs some thought that he was not right for the job. This is one of many moves that proves that he was quite ready.
 

Jimbodandy

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When Brad moved upstairs some thought that he was not right for the job. This is one of many moves that proves that he was quite ready.
Brad is surely the right guy for this moment. Not sure if "building a team from scratch" is in his skillset or not. We haven't seen evidence either way. But he sure as hell knows how to complete a team.
 

benhogan

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Al plus Rob plus Kornet, all signed for next year at a total of <$25 M.
BIGs/Centers is the place to find value for roster building. Brad has played it well

Bet he can still find another cheap/fungible BIG over the next couple of years that's playable from the 2nd round/Undrafted rookie/scrap heap/buyout
 

HomeRunBaker

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BIGs/Centers is the place to find value for roster building. Brad has played it well

Bet he can still find another cheap/fungible BIG over the next couple of years that's playable from the 2nd round/Undrafted rookie/scrap heap/buyout
Willie McGee?

(Old main board posters will get this)
 

m0ckduck

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Brad is surely the right guy for this moment. Not sure if "building a team from scratch" is in his skillset or not. We haven't seen evidence either way. But he sure as hell knows how to complete a team.
Not to sidetrack too much, but this is one of my abiding pet sports convictions: that "rebuild GM" and "get-over-the-hump GM" are two different animals with different temperaments, which is one of the reasons why it's so hard for teams across all sports to sustain improvement over long periods of time. The rebuild GM is basically a dick who wants to win every deal, tries to accurately assess the value of every asset, and specializes in stockpiling as much overall equity as possible. The "get-over-the-hump GM" is better attuned to team dynamics and is willing to lose a deal or overpay for someone who contributes to the overall health of the system. Often, teams that reach the championship level are ones that (perhaps accidentally) managed to move from the first GM type to the second at the right time (think early 2000 Sox segueing from Duquette to Epstein)
 

LoLsapien

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Fully admitting that I don't know anything about the X's and O's of basketball, my observation is that as a coach, Stevens demonstrated what I would consider to be the perfect skill set for a rebuilding GM. He has that famous Bill Belichick ability to understand what a player can and can't do, and put them in a position to succeed. Do you guys remember some of those early teams he took to the playoffs?

If anything I've been shocked that Coach Brad has been able to demonstrate the ability to bring along youngsters, develop talent AND the killer instinct to complete the team. The guy is incredible. Lest we forget that Danny also built a championship winning team, tore it apart, and built the structure for the Next Great Celtic Team. So I think we've been blessed with consecutive GMs that can succeed in both rebuild and championship seeking settings.

Edit: Also worth a reminder that Killer Instinct Brad came from college, where he built a program up from a whatever to a championship level team. He was tasked with bringing in talent from the HS and prep school ranks, worked with college kids on a daily basis, was tasked with helping these kids progress from fresh meat to NBA caliber... I can't think of better experience for the "rebuilding phase" GM.
 
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Mooch

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Beyond the basketball aspects that make this a home run deal for the C's, I love the signal this sends to the rest of the team and the confidence that Al has that Boston has built something really special here that he wants to continue to be a part of for the next few seasons.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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He seems like a beloved guy by his teammates, so worst case is you have an overpaid mentor and big man coach at the end of that contract and the overpay is still peanuts compared to the cap.
 

BaseballJones

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When Brad moved upstairs some thought that he was not right for the job. This is one of many moves that proves that he was quite ready.
I thought he was a very good coach, but he's showing to be an even better GM.
 

BigSoxFan

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Average Al deserves a ring. Glad he’ll have a few more bites at the apple.
 

RG33

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Oh mutha-fuckin’ hells yeah!

Love this signing. Great deal. Love Big Al. So excited he retires in green.
 

mikeot

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BS waxing, BB waning as the most astute mind in Beantown sports - kudos to him and Average, LFG! One, two, many more rings!