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NBA Trade Rumors: Celtics unwilling to pay premium price for Al Horford, Dwight Howard, per report

The Boston Celtics are reportedly unwilling to pay a premium price for Al Horford or Dwight Howard for what could amount to a two-month rental.

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The clock is ticking on the NBA's trade deadline and teams continue to work the phones in an effort to strengthen themselves for the stretch run. The Atlanta Hawks remain in the middle of a lot of rumors but reports indicate that a deal for All-Star center Al Horford may be becoming less likely. The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Boston Celtics, who are thought to be the principle suitor for Horford, are unwilling to pay a premium price to obtain him at the deadline.

The issue for a team trading for Horford would be the uncertainty they would have as to whether they could retain him this summer. Horford will be a free agent for the first time in his career and is sure to draw plenty of interest on the free agent market.

That is leverage that players wait their entire career to have and they aren't going to waste that by committing privately to a team now.