Warriors fans can start celebrating as Al Horford's plan is all but confirmed

As the Golden State Warriors remain stagnant this offseason, it has been largely rumored that their major signing, the sniping of veteran center Al Horford from the Boston Celtics, is imminent.

While, largely due to the looming Jonathan Kuminga situation, any Warriors acquisitions currently remain in limbo, Celtics' president Brad Stevens has all but confirmed Horford's availability, saying that the prospect of him resigning is "unlikely".

Although this news certainly does not guarantee his signing with Golden State, it should provide fans an extra bit of hope as one of their sole options this offseason remains available.

Warriors chances to sign Al Horford grow by the day

Horford, who averaged nine points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season on 27.7 minutes per game, could provide the veteran presence the Warriors need around the rim to stabilize their defense.

Therefore, Golden State could benefit heavily from the Celtics' decision to tear away from their massive spending and take next season as a re-tooling year. Having already traded away veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to offload salary, the franchise is now letting some of its less costly free agents walk in an effort to reshape their roster around certain young talents.

While Horford, who has played seven seasons in Boston across two different stints with the organization, was not widely expected to resign given his diminished role over the past two seasons, Stevens' announcement essentially cements Horford's availability.

While there have been numerous reported suitors for Horford, including the Celtics, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, many of these teams have already found their solutions through the trade market or free agency, and Golden State remains the most likely landing spot for the veteran's services.

With the Warriors, Horford would receive a large chunk of minutes due to the dire positional need the team has at center. With the departure of Kevon Looney in free agency, the organization knows it cannot rely fully on the undersized Draymond Green or the defensively developing Quinten Post to take on the full breadth of the minutes at center.

This left Horford with essentially three options that would suit his desires: returning to the Celtics, signing with Golden State, or retirement.

Now, the Warriors must wait for the conclusion of the Kuminga saga, which grows more complicated as the market for restricted free agents remains uncertain under the new CBA, in order to complete the deal. However, it seems as though Horford will be willing to wait for the team to have its ducks in a row before signing.