The Golden State Warriors‘ sideline could look wildly different next season, starting with head coach Steve Kerr and stretching all the way to the group of reserves on the end of the bench.
Golden State came up one win short of a playoff appearance during an injury-marred campaign in 2025-26. Meanwhile Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all have one year remaining on their contracts (Green’s is a player option). All three of them are currently playing in their late 30s.
The rest of the roster is replete with aged veterans, including center Al Horford. A newcomer to the Bay Area last fall, Horford turns 40 years old in June. He has a $6 million player option on his deal in Golden State for 2026-27 and said this week that he is unsure of his plans moving forward.
“I think that, for me, it has to do with not rushing to anything or not let emotions or the heat of the moment determine anything,” Horford said Monday, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “I just think I’ve done this the last few years, and it’s just kind of taken time to step back and have a clear picture, look at the outlook of the team, looking at the future of the team, how things look, and also seeing kind of where I’m at and how I’m feeling.”
Al Horford Battled Injuries in Age-39 Season, Played Big for Warriors in NBA Play-In Tournament
GettyAl Horford of the Golden State Warriors.
Horford won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2024 after losing in the NBA Finals to the Warriors two years prior.
Injuries marred his first year in Golden State, holding him out of all but 45 regular-season games and impacting his ability to find his personal rhythm and establish his role as a key rotation member of the roster.
That said, Horford played 22 minutes in the team’s opening play-in tournament game against the Los Angeles Clippers last week. He scored 14 points and made 4-of-7 attempts from behind the 3-point line, including multiple huge buckets from deep down the stretch in the Dubs’ fourth-quarter comeback win.
The stretch big man averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks in 21.5 minutes per night for Golden State last season. He also connected on 36.1 percent of his 4.6 tries from behind the arc per game.
Al Horford’s Game Fits Well in Reserve Role Alongside Steph Curry
GettySteph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Friedell noted that Horford was a “trusted voice” and “popular teammate” in the Dubs’ locker room almost immediately.
Furthermore, his game (in a more limited role now) fits well with Curry on both sides of the floor, who remains the focal points of the Warriors’ offense and stated publicly after the team’s season ended one win shy of the playoffs that he is interested in signing a contract extension and playing multiple more years with Golden State.
As for Horford, he said he will consider opting into his deal, opting out and testing the market, as well as retirement after regaining his physical health down the stretch.
“I feel good. I still feel like I can contribute and play at a very high level still,” Horford said. “Those are all things that I’m going to look at. Now that everything kind of gets quiet, you know, it’s something that I’ll reflect on all that.”
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