The signing of free agent F Al Horford to a four-year, $113M contract indicates that the Celtics "no longer have a stigma when it comes to major free agent," and that the city and team are "capable of being a destination for players in their prime," according to Gary Washburn of the BOSTON GLOBE. It has "been more than 30 years since the Celtics faithful can recall ... when a premium free agent, a multi-time All-Star willfully chose to join Boston in his prime years." Boston "has carried a rather stale reputation for being a city that is difficult to play in for players of color," and the Celtics "struggled mightily in luring high-caliber free agents of color." However, that had "little to do with the city and more to do with the perception" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/4). In Massachusetts, Jay King wrote despite missing out on Kevin Durant, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge by signing Horford "shattered the narrative the Celtics can't sign elite free agents and gave his team a chance to reach the Eastern Conference Finals right away" (MASSLIVE.com, 7/4).
HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: THE RINGER's Chris Ryan wrote the Celtics "now have a fantastic young team, the ability to create max contract space, and a highly valuable draft pick next season." They "will be in the driver’s seat during the trade deadline, and will be a major player in the blockbuster" '17 free agent class (THERINGER.com, 7/3). The GLOBE's Washburn noted the Celtics "will improve with the addition of Horford, but they may have to wait another year, when the salary cap increases again, to make a major move." The $94M salary cap "is expected to swell to an estimated" $110M next summer, and the Celtics "will be quite an attractive destination, given the core of their team will all be under contract" for '17-18 (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/4).
PASSION PLAY: In Atlanta, Jeff Schultz noted Horford is "going to a more storied franchise with a deeper well of passionate fans and with championship banners hanging from the arena rafters." He also is "going to a team that clearly is headed in the right direction" (MYAJC.com, 7/3). In Boston, Adam Himmelsbach noted as Horford's family discussed his options, the conversation "often returned to the uncommon passion of Boston’s fans." Fan support at Hawks games at Philips Arena "was sometimes tepid, despite the fact that the Hawks had gone 108-56 over the last two years." Tito Horford, Al's father, said, "There wasn’t as much motivation for him when he saw all the empty seats when they were winning" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/3).
ATLANTA, UNDERGROUND: AJC.com's Schultz wrote it will be "interesting to see how the Hawks market themselves moving forward" following the offseason departures of Horford and G Jeff Teague along with the addition of C Dwight Howard. The team "came into this past season off the high of 60 wins and an Eastern Conference finals appearance," but those achievements are "long gone, and it seems safe to conclude that doubts about direction are in the minds of many fans again." Schultz: "Logic suggests they’ll do something with the 'Howard comes home' storyline, but that’s going to have a short shelf life, and in a fickle Atlanta pro sports market the Hawks probably have lost the benefit of the doubt over the past few months" (MYAJC.com, 7/3).
