Kevin Durant to sign with Warriors

Kevin Durant to sign with Warriors
10:42 AM CT
ESPN.com news services
Kevin Durant will sign with the Golden State Warriors.

Durant announced his decision in a post on The Players' Tribune.

He will sign a two-year, $54 million contract, sources told ESPN's Marc Stein. The deal includes a player option after the first year.

The biggest catch on the free-agent market, Durant met with six teams the past three days: Oklahoma City, Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 27-year-old Durant has spent all nine seasons of his career with the Thunder organization. He won the MVP in 2014, has been named first-­team All-­NBA five times and has made seven All-­Star teams. He has appeared in four Western Conference finals and one NBA Finals, losing in five games to the Heat in 2012.

Durant bounced back last season to earn second­-team All-NBA honors after undergoing three surgeries on his right foot to repair a Jones fracture suffered prior to the 2014-­15 season, when he was limited to 27 games before undergoing a season-­ending bone graft procedure in March. Without Durant, the Thunder missed the postseason.

With him back for 72 games last season, the Thunder improved to 55-27 and finished third in the West. The Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the opening round, upset the 67-­win Spurs in six games in the second round and pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference finals.

Durant averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season, and he scored at least 20 points in 67 straight games.

In nine seasons, Durant is averaging 27.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Al Horford agrees to 4-year, $113M deal with Celtics!!

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Free-agent big man Al Horford has announced that he is heading to the Boston Celtics.

Horford and the Boston Celtics agreed to terms on a four-year, $113 million deal, league sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

The Atlanta Hawks had offered Horford five years, $136 million, which was less than the max, the sources said.

Horford also revealed the news on his Twitter account on Saturday, posting "Celtics pride."

Horford, an unrestricted free agent, has played his entire nine-year career in Atlanta, which drafted him third overall in 2007. The four-time All-Star averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists this past season.

After the Hawks were swept by the Cavaliers for the second straight year, Horford stressed just how much he has enjoyed playing in Atlanta and that the team still can win with some improvements to its current core.

"There are a lot of things that we need to address," Horford said of talking to his family and advisers. "But the biggest thing for me is I feel good here. I have a great relationship with coach (Mike Budenholzer). That is important to me. And my teammates.

"Atlanta is a city that welcomed me from the first day... I'm very grateful for people that have always been real positive toward me and my family. I feel good. I feel like the way the team is going, I feel like we can win here."

Horford was the topic of trade rumors at the deadline, with the Boston Celtics reportedly being among those interested.

The 6-foot-10 center, who turned 30 in June, was expected to draw interest on the free agent market for his ability to shoot from the perimeter.

Last season, Horford shot a career-high 256 3-pointers after taking a total of 65 attempts in his previous eight seasons.

"I probably got a little away from the post this year trying to expand my game and do different things," Horford said. "That is a point of emphasis that I will try to be better in the post and be able to put the ball down a little more on the floor. Being able to drive a little more. Even though I had some strides in that area this year, I think I can be even better at that."