We have a new team being mentioned as a potential part of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes: the Boston Celtics.
According to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg, Danny Ainge has long been an admirer of the Thunder forward, and Boston will have ample amounts of cap room to make a run at him during the summer.
People familiar with Ainge’s thinking firmly believe he would have drafted Durant first overall in 2007, ahead of Greg Oden. Ainge also sat next to Durant’s mother during the Big Twelve semifinal that year, for which he was later fined.
Forsberg also believes that the Celtics could make a compelling presentation to Durant, given their youth, rapid improvement, and the fact that Durant would unquestionably be the guy in Boston. The Celtics sit at 39-28, and they’ll also have at least one lottery pick thanks to the Brooklyn Nets – a pick that will in all likelihood be a very high one.
Could the Celtics be a fit? Maybe. It depends on what Durant is looking for. He’d be the main man and surrounded by an improving core, but his addition probably doesn’t quite make them overnight title contenders, which is supposedly what he wants the most.
Durant, it has been rumored, will leave the Thunder if they don’t make it to the NBA Finals this season, with the Warriors cited as his most likely destination if he does depart.
