Warriors big man Al Horford will turn down his $5.97MM player option for the 2026/27 season in order to sign a new two-year contract with Golden State, sources tell Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.
Horford’s new deal will be worth $14MM, per Charania and Slater, which suggests the Warriors will re-sign him using his Non-Bird rights. Using those rights, the team can give him a 20% raise on his previous salary and then a 5% raise between the first and second years of the contract. That would work out to a maximum amount of $13,985,100.
The agreement will be fully guaranteed and will also include a trade kicker, according to ESPN’s duo.
Horford, who turned 40 earlier this month, signed with the Warriors last offseason after spending the previous four years in Boston. He got off to a slow start with his new team and battled some health issues, including sciatica and a calf strain, but found his footing over the course of the season.
Across 45 regular season appearances (13 starts), Horford averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game in his first year as a Warrior. He registered a shooting line of .426/.361/.846.
Horford told ESPN that he thinks the Warriors will “continue to take steps forward” in his second year and is optimistic they’ll have a “better season” after the 2025/26 campaign was derailed by Jimmy Butler‘s mid-season ACL tear. The veteran center won’t play for the Dominican national team this summer as he prepares for the NBA season ahead.
“If the group is healthy, if we’re together, I feel like we’re going to compete,” Horford said. “I don’t want to think too much ahead, but once we’re able to get Jimmy and (Moses Moody) back … we have a very competitive group and we’re going to do the best that we can.”
Horford has been in the NBA since being drafted third overall in 2007, so next season will be his 20th as a pro. As Slater and Charania, only 12 players in league history have played in the NBA for 20 or more seasons. Horford, who reportedly considered retirement in 2025, told ESPN he’s “very grateful” to become the 13th player to join that group and is looking forward to continuing his career.
“I feel really good. I’m taking care of myself,” Horford said. “The last five years, honestly, I’ve been taking it year to year. That’s been my approach. But with this two-year deal I’m signing, I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s just kind of let it rip.’ I’m not going to limit myself. As long as I feel good and I’m helping the team and we’re doing great things, we’ll keep it going.”
