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Basketball: Boston Celtics snare Al Horford

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no deals can be finalized until Thursday under league rules.

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Instead, Horford changed his Twitter account to Celtics green on Saturday.

“Let’s get it”, Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas wrote.

The Celtics won 48 games last season, finishing in a four-way tie for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Sources have revealed that news of the Al Horford agreeing to sign with the Celtics came just as they were meeting with the most sought after free agent this off-season, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant. He’s expected to meet with Miami on Sunday.

Whether he signs with the Thunder, Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers or San Antonio Spurs, Durant will have to go through a number of teams just to reach the NBA Finals.

Horford met with several teams Friday including Boston, Houston and Washington, teams considered to be the front runners for Horford if he left Atlanta.

Jon Leuer’s agency, Priority Sports, announced on Saturday afternoon on Twitter the 27-year-old power forward has agreed to a four-year deal with the Pistons. The Hawks now have to pick up the pieces and move ahead without two key starters from last season, as Jeff Teague is gone as well in a trade.

In search of a veteran leader, the young Lakers agreed to terms with Luol Deng for four years and $72 million.

Last season, the 6-foot-3 guard scored 18.9 points per 40 minutes, and had been a topic of discussion for the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets recently. The high-energy forward has made the playoffs seven times with the Bulls and Heat.

Howard received a three-year contract worth $70.5 million, while Bazemore will get $70 million over four years, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

Howard has averaged a minimum of 10 points as well as 10 rebounds in each of the 12 seasons he has played in the National Basketball Association. Experts estimate that Al Horford will earn at least $28 million on the first year of his new contract. Shooting guard Kyle Korver’s scoring average fell off about three points per game to 9.2.

Restricted free-agent Shane Prince was also re-signed to a two-year deal. Marvin Williams stayed in Charlotte for four years.

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Sudanese-born British forward Luol Deng has agreed to a four-year National Basketball Association free agent deal worth $72 million (64.6 million euros) with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to multiple media reports. Well, for starters, it means that Al Horford is nearly certainly gone, but with Howard now anchoring the middle, it will provide Atlanta with a big man that can protect the paint, something that was quite a sore spot for the Hawks over the past few years.

Boston-bound Al Horford