Overview
- On Thursday, June 25, Horford declined a roughly $6 million player option and agreed to a fully guaranteed two-year, $14 million contract with the Golden State Warriors, a deal reported to include a trade kicker and to be structured using Non-Bird rights.
- The Non-Bird framework noted in reports typically limits raises to about 20% on the prior salary and smaller year-to-year increases, which helps explain the contract’s $14 million total.
- Horford will become only the 13th player in NBA history to play a 20th season when he takes the court in 2026-27, a milestone he confirmed in interviews with ESPN.
- After appearing in 45 games (13 starts) for Golden State in 2025-26 while battling sciatica and a calf strain, Horford said he will skip summer play with the Dominican Republic to focus on recovery and conditioning.
- The signing preserves veteran frontcourt depth for a Warriors core dealing with health uncertainty and gives the team roster and trade flexibility as it sorts player options and cap decisions this offseason.