Fansided

Al Horford tweets ‘Celtic Pride’ after agreeing to deal with Boston

ByJohn Buhler|
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 19: Boston Celtics guard guard Isaiah Thomas, left, reacts after he is called for fouling Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha, not pictured, on a three point shot as Hawks center Al Horford looks on while Celtics guard Evan Turner, right, reacts during the second half of Game 2 in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs at Philips Arena in Atlanta on April 19, 2016. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 19: Boston Celtics guard guard Isaiah Thomas, left, reacts after he is called for fouling Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha, not pictured, on a three point shot as Hawks center Al Horford looks on while Celtics guard Evan Turner, right, reacts during the second half of Game 2 in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs at Philips Arena in Atlanta on April 19, 2016. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Al Horford made it abundantly clear that he hated how the Atlanta Hawks made a late push for him. He made his Twitter avatar all about the Boston Celtics.

Al Horford has made his decision where he is going to play basketball for 2016-17 and for the next four years. He didn’t like how the Atlanta Hawks went about taking forever to give him the five-year max, so he signed a four-year, $113 million deal to join the Boston Celtics. He let the world know about his decision on Twitter.

Horford will leave Atlanta for another playoff caliber team in the Eastern Conference in the Celtics. He’ll get an upgrade at point guard in All-Star Isaiah Thomas over first-year starter Dennis Schroder in Atlanta taking over for Jeff Teague, now with the Indiana Pacers.

There’s even reason to believe that the Celtics might be now serious contenders to land the best free agent in the 2016 class in small forward Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went to the Durant meeting on Saturday to help sell him on the idea of joining the Celtics.

Regardless of if Durant joins Horford and Thomas in Boston, the Celtics are getting a big man capable of playing both center and power forward at a high level. Horford has always had a good mid-range game and had increased his range to beyond the arc in 2015-16 with Atlanta.

Together, Horford and Thomas form a solid pick-and-roll partnership and the Celtics might be a contender for an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2017 as is. This signing means that Atlanta is no longer going to shop power forward Paul Millsap, as Horford is all about that Celtic Pride.

Horford is the All-Star player general manager Danny Ainge has wanted since beginning the rebuilding process in Boston a few years ago. Now the Celtics have the chance to go out and win 50 or so games in 2016-17 and be potentially an elite Eastern Conference team.

For more NBA free agency news, please check out our NBA free agency category page.

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