Al Horford has become a huge and integral part of the Boston Celtics over nearly a decade, but now his return as an opposition player could be set if his move to the Golden State Warriors goes through as expected.
After playing seven of his last nine years with the Celtics, Horford is still an unrestricted free agent this offseason but is expected to join the Warriors once Jonathan Kuminga's future is resolved one way or the other.
Al Horford could return to TD Garden on March 18
The Warriors are set to play at TD Garden for the one and only time next season in a nationally televised game on March 18, potentially forcing Horford to wait almost the entire regular season to return to the franchise with whom he won a championship with just last year.
That will likely be the final time Horford plays on the Celtics' home floor, with the veteran center expected to retire after next season if he doesn't break Golden State hearts and do so in the coming weeks.
One thing that seemingly isn't on the cards is a return to the Celtics, having clearly changed his mindset thanks to numerous factors -- including Jayson Tatum's injury and the Jrue Holiday/Kristaps Porzingis trades -- that suggests that Boston are in a gap year of sorts.
The Warriors are now set to provide Horford with one final opportunity to be a key factor on a veteran team striving for a deep playoff run. The 39-year-old is expected to become the starting center on what will be one of the oldest lineups of all-time, with Horford joining a 37-year-old Stephen Curry and 35-year-old's Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
Horford's been linked to the Warriors since the hours before free agency began, having continually become even more prominent as a likely free agency acquisition despite brief speculation surrounding a potential move to the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets.
The March 18 matchup will be Golden State's 69th game of the season, but Horford will have a slightly earlier opportunity to see his former team when Boston visit Chase Center a month earlier on February 19.
It will be a vastly different Boston team that Horford is likely to see next season, with Porzingis and Holiday now gone and Tatum sitting on the sidelines. Regardless, the March 18 reunion is sure to be an emotional one assuming the 5x All-Star does indeed join the Warriors in due course.