Another day of free agency has come, and another day where we still await confirmation on Al Horford's arrival to the Golden State Warriors.
There's a likelihood that the Horford situation is simply on hold until the Warriors finalize what's happening with Jonathan Kuminga, but nevertheless some fans are nervous with more time giving the 39-year-old a chance to re-evaluate or change his decision.
Even though Horford hasn't actually signed with the Warriors, having him sign with a rival team (or go into retirement) would feel like a brutal loss at this point. Not only does the 5x All-Star figure as an excellent on an off-court fit for Golden State, but the free agency center market behind him is nothing short of underwhelming.
Still, there's an obvious insurance plan for the Warriors should the Horford situation fall over, one that entails a reunion with a 2x NBA champion who played one game for the franchise.
The Warriors could target a reunion with Chris Boucher
In terms of veteran big men who can space the floor, the options are starting to become somewhat limited outside of Horford and Chris Boucher. The Canadian native is yet to be re-signed by the Toronto Raptors, nor acquired by another team over four days into free agency.
Given the Raptors handed out a big new extension to Jakob Poeltl, signed Sandro Mamukelashvili away from the San Antonio Spurs, and have a young big as well in Jonathan Mogbo, it's fair to say Boucher won't be returning next season.
That opens the door for a team to acquire the 32-year-old, with Boucher having played one game for Golden State while on a two-way contract with the franchise in 2017-18, before moving to Toronto where he's since become a reliable rotation player.
Warriors should reach out to Chris Boucher, who quietly had his best season in nearly four years.
— Dr. Artocarpus (@DrArtocarpus) July 1, 2025
Has championship experience. Can stretch the floor a bit. Former Warrior. Grades out well according to most advanced metrics. Haven't heard a single thing about his market yet.
I still wouldn't count out the Warriors' reported interest in Chris Boucher (@BrettSiegelNBA was the first to mention). If Boucher went to Golden State, it would be a return to the team that originally signed him to a two-way contract after being undrafted in 2017.
— Ray Almeda (@rayalmeda) July 2, 2025
Would much rather have Boucher than Horford (who still would be great) and truly wish the Warriors didn’t have a Head Coach who makes every prospective free agent think twice before signing with them. https://t.co/4UnaeftFjj
— Cyrus Saatsaz (@SurfJournalist) July 4, 2025
The Warriors identified the need for a veteran stretch big heading into free agency, hence why Horford has been their No. 1 target to date. Boucher would also fill that void though, just to a much lesser degree and probably without the potential of slotting into Golden State's starting center role.
The 6'9" big man averaged 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds with the Raptors last season, shooting an efficient 49.2% from the floor and 36.3% from 3-point range. Boucher had a memorable performance against the Warriors in January, scoring 17 fourth-quarter points that included a bunch of threes and highlight dunks to lead the Raptors to victory.
Given the shooting ability of he, Horford and young center Quinten Post, Golden State could actually still target Boucher in addition and play some double-big lineups. That might actually be the ideal outcome, providing the Warriors with the sort of size that fans have been yearning for over the last few years.