Report: Horford didn't want to play with Howard, preferred Celtics fans

The Atlanta Hawks' 11th-hour push to re-sign Al Horford proved too little, too late, and the free-agent center ultimately opted to sign a four-year, $113-million deal with the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks' final offer reportedly came in at five years, $136 million - a slightly lower annual figure but quite a bit more guaranteed money. Horford, though, walked away from the promise of additional security, and his reasons, it seems, are manifold.

For one, Horford was unhappy with the Hawks' reluctance to offer him the full five-year max that only they (by virtue of owning his Bird rights) could offer him, according to Ken Berger of CBS.

Perhaps more tellingly, Horford was also reportedly unenthusiastic about playing alongside the center the Hawks ostensibly signed to replace him.

"He didn't want to play with Dwight (Howard)," a source told Berger.

Whether that has to do with his and Howard's slight positional overlap, or Howard's growing reputation as a malcontent, is unclear.

Finally, Horford was apparently ready to play in front of an invested fan base for once.

"There wasn't as much motivation for him when he saw all the empty seats when they were winning," Horford's father, Tito, said of the Hawks (who finished 23rd in attendance last season) in an interview with the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach on Saturday night.

"He said to me, 'Dad, when we were playing Boston (in the first round of the playoffs), they were down 15 points and they were cheering their team like they were winning the game. They're so into the game.'"

On top of inheriting those passionate fans, Horford will adopt the rich history of the NBA's most storied franchise. The Celtics have won a league-record 17 championships. In the celebratory tweet he posted immediately after agreeing to the deal with his new team, Horford sent out 18 shamrock emojis.

"This is special for us," said Tito, "especially for him."