Al Horford is the biggest free agent to ever sign with the Boston Celtics.
And he's going to try to make sure he's not the last.
"People around the league, they appreciate, they understand how special it is," Horford said on Friday at a news conference surrounded by championship banners at the Celtics' practice facility. "I hope that if I'm coming here, it will definitely open the door to other free agents."
Horford agreed to a four-year, $US113 million ($A151 million) deal with the Celtics last week on the opening day of NBA free agency. A few hours later, he learned that Kevin Durant had spurned Boston's offer and decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors instead.
"It would have been nice, but I have to move on," Horford told reporters on Friday morning, after he was introduced but before the contract had been approved by the NBA office.
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Without Durant, the Celtics missed out on a player that could have elevated the team into immediate contention for the franchise's 18th NBA title. General manager Danny Ainge conceded that Horford alone doesn't do that, even on a roster that already included All-Star Isaiah Thomas.
"Right now it definitely makes us better," Ainge said. "We're not done. We still have work to do."
The news conference was delayed at the start because of a paperwork problem that kept the Celtics from saying Horford was officially signed. Owner Wyc Grousbeck said it was just a formality, but in the meantime they were only "welcoming" Horford to Boston.
NBA free agents have traditionally been drawn more to the attractions of South Beach or the media possibilities in New York and Los Angeles, rather than Boston. The Celtics have signed some big-name free agents in the past - Shaquille O'Neal and Dominique Wilkins among them - but only at the tail end of their careers.
