BASKETBALL
Celtics send Walker, 16th pick to Thunder
BOSTON -- The Celtics are bringing Al Horford back, trading point guard Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City for the five-time All-Star on Friday in Brad Stevens' first major move since he moved from the Boston bench to the front office.
Boston will also send the No. 16 overall draft pick and a 2025 second-rounder to the Thunder, and receive 7-footer Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick in return.
Oklahoma City now holds 19 first-round draft picks over the next seven years.
Horford returns to Boston and gives the Celtics the frontcourt presence they've lacked since he left two seasons ago. The 6-9 forward was a member of the NBA All-Defensive team with the Celtics in 2017-18.
Walker joins a team that finished with the second-worst record in the West last season but showed potential with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the Thunder with 23.7 points per game.
Walker, 31, is guaranteed more than $73 million over the next two seasons. But after helping the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA bubble last season, the four-time All-Star was limited by knee injuries to 43 games in 2021; he missed the last two games of the first-round playoff loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Swapping Walker's salary for Horford's will save the Celtics $9 million.
After playing his first nine seasons in Atlanta, Horford signed with Boston as a free agent in 2016 and led the team to the conference finals in his first two seasons. But he opted out after three seasons to go to Philadelphia, then the 76ers flipped him to the Thunder after one year.
Horford, 35, averaged 14.2 points and 6.7 rebounds this season, but he played just 23 games before Oklahoma City shut him down in late March to take a look at younger players.