Per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater, Al Horford will decline his player option to sign a new two year, $14 million deal to stay with the Golden State Warriors.
With this signing, Horford officially becomes the 13th player in NBA history to reach 20 seasons.
According to Slater and Charania, Horford’s deal is fully guaranteed and includes a trade kicker.
Horford joins the list of 20-season players that includes LeBron James, Vince Carter, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kyle Lowry, Udonis Haslem, Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Per Horford in the article that announced the deal:
“I knew a few off the top of my head, but I hadn’t seen the list. It’s hard to believe. It’s something that, for me, I’m very grateful. It’s just so hard to be in this league for that amount of years. There’s a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice and time. I still feel like I’m able to contribute and have an impact on a team.”
The Warriors’ plan for Horford this offseason is to stay in the Bay Area to work with Rick Celebrini, carefully following a conditioning program that will allow Horford to stay health and in shape throughout next season. That includes foregoing participation in national team duties for the Dominican Republic this summer.
Horford’s first season with the Warriors saw the 40-year-old veteran averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. Though the team’s title aspirations were derailed by a mid-season injury to Jimmy Butler, Horford provided crucial frontcourt depth before their season ended in the Play-In tournament.
