Boston Celtics' Pitch for Kevin Durant in Free Agency Is Stronger Than You Think

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2628222-boston-celtics-pitch-for-kevin-durant-in-free-agency-stronger-than-you-think




Boston Celtics' Pitch for Kevin Durant in Free Agency Is Stronger Than You Think


By Brian Robb , Featured Columnist

Mar 31, 2016








BOSTON — Danny Ainge’s infatuation with Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant goes all the way to the March before 2007's NBA draft. At the time, Boston's GM was fined $30,000 by the NBA for sitting alongside Durant’s mother during the 2007 Big 12 Tournament while scouting the Texas prospect.

The Celtics finished with the NBA's second-worst recordback in 2006-07, putting them in prime position to land the 6'10'' forward or Ohio State big man Greg Oden in the months leading up to the NBA lottery. Oden was the consensus No. 1 pick in the eyes of most draft experts, but not Ainge, according to his son and Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge.

"I was in the draft room, and they would have taken Durant [over Oden],” Ainge said last June about Boston’s draft board in 2007. “I did have some inside information there."

Armed with just the No. 5 overall pick after the ping-pong balls failed to fall their way in the draft lottery, the Celtics missed their chance to add the prized scorer. Instead, Durant was taken second by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Nearly nine years later, Ainge and the Celtics may be getting a second shot at landing the all-star forward when he hits unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer.



The Door is Open




Michael Dwyer/Associated Press



To be sure, Durant has expressed no desire to leave Oklahoma City, but he did raise hopes of Celtics fans last month with positive remarks about the franchise and region.

"You can feel the tradition walking in here,” Durant said in a televised interview with ESPN. “You see all the [Celtics legends] plastered on the walls as you walk into the locker room. The tradition of being a Boston Celtic is second to none. So it's amazing playing here. The fans, they're very energetic and they cheer for their team. It's amazing to see as a player, to have fans that care about the game so much. It's an amazing sports town and they have a great team to cheer for.”

But the 27-year-old poured cold water on the remarks days later in Philadelphia, responding to a question about the flurry of speculation his comments had caused in Boston.

“I'm not going to hold my tongue or answer things differently or walk on eggshells because I don't want stuff written about me,” he told CSNPhilly.com's Enrico Campitelli. “I'm just gonna be who I am. Of course people are going to say stuff. I like playing in Boston, like the city, it's a cool city, they ran with that one. But I know how it is. It's all good."

That clarification quieted the firestorm for the time being, but the bigger question still remains unanswered for this summer: If Durant elects for a change of scenery, just how compelling of a pitch could the Celtics make to the nine-year veteran? A close look at the team’s roster, assets and salary-cap situation show that it’s stronger than you may think.



The Cupboard is Stocked




Throughout his tenure as Celtics GM, Ainge has stressed the importance of finding superstar-level talent. He stockpiled young players and draft picks after taking over basketball operations for the Celtics in 2003, and that collection of assets helped him land a pair of proven all-stars in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett during the summer of 2007.




Elise Amendola/Associated Press



Despite a surprise playoff run in year two of his latest rebuilding project last season, Ainge has continued to emphasize acquiring elite talent to push the Celtics to contender status once more.

"I mean, listen, there’s always things you want to do that you don’t get to do,” Ainge acknowledged to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe in September. “We don’t always get what we want. … I think you need transcendent players in the NBA, and you don’t always get what you want.”

While biding his time for a star free agent to become available, Ainge has focused on building the foundation of a team that would hold appeal as a destination for a player of Durant’s caliber.

“There are a few things that players want,” Ainge told Bleacher Report. “That’s to be paid, an opportunity to play and an opportunity to win. I think if players are provided with those three things for sure, they will go anywhere to accomplish those things.”

The Celtics have already positioned themselves well for the first two factors in that equation. The team will have upward of $55 million in potential salary-cap room this summer, assuming the cap jumps to $92 million as was reported by Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. That’s enough money to go after two max free agents.

With key core players such as Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas signed to below-market deals through the 2017-18 season (longer for Crowder), and young talent (Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart) still on rookie contracts, any free agents coming to Boston wouldn’t find an empty cupboard. Evan Turner is the only rotation player who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Celtics' Roster Outlook

Key players under contract for 2016-17.....Restricted free agents...............Unrestricted free agents
Avery Bradley ($8.3 million)....................Jared Sullinger.........................Evan Turner
Isaiah Thomas ($6.6 million)....................Tyler Zeller
Jae Crowder ($6.3 million)
Marcus Smart ($3.6 million)
Kelly Olynyk ($3.1 million)
Amir Johnson ($12 million team option)
Jonas Jerebko ($5 million team option)
Basketball-Reference.com

Opportunity won’t be an issue for Durant wherever he lands, but Boston’s roster provides a particularly nice fit for the superstar forward. Thomas (22.3 PPG) is one of the top scoring point guards in the league, while the trio of Bradley, Smart and Crowder has helped a team on pace to win 48 games with a top-four defense.

Brad Stevens has maximized overlooked players like Thomas and Crowder since taking over as head coach in 2013. He’s tried to re-create the San Antonio Spurs model of "corporate knowledge" in Boston, as he told Bleacher Report in an interview last season, by creating a culture where players develop a strong understanding of their role on the roster. And San Antonio has emphasized that system while adding superstar talent, as seen with the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge last summer. The blueprint is there.

From Boston's standpoint, the team desperately needs a shot creator with size to pair with Thomas. Durant would instantly fill that void.

While several teams, including the Celtics themselves, have had to break up promising young rosters during their quests to land a superstar player in recent years, the encouraging part for Boston is that, like San Antonio, the team has the ability to sign Durant and plenty of outside help without blowing up the current core.

Celtics' List of Future 1st-Round Draft Picks

2016.....own.....Brooklyn (unprotected) Minnesota (top-12 protected) Dallas (top-seven protected)
2017.....own.....Brooklyn (right to swap)
2018.....own.....Brooklyn (unprotected) Memphis (top-12 protected)
Real GM

The salary-cap space is in place, and Boston has also stockpiled enough valuable draft capital, including three future unprotected first-round selections from the Brooklyn Nets, to entice other franchises to provide experienced contributors via trade.

“We've made great progress in my opinion, and we still have great flexibility moving forward,” Stevens told Bleacher Report in February. “We haven't sacrificed our flexibility, and we've just continued to get better as a team. Our guys have committed to getting better, and it's been fun to be a part of that.”



The Competition is (Also) Stacked



With so many other dominoes falling into place, the major key remaining for the Celtics over the next couple months is proving to Durant, (and other prospective free agents), just how far the team has progressed on the big stage and how close they are to taking the next step.

A one-and-done exit like last postseason against the Cleveland Cavaliers would not do much to separate the Celtics from Durant’s pack of suitors. A trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, though, would make the pitch to Durant more compelling.

In that scenario, Ainge can point to the team’s success, its plethora of draft trade assets and an Eastern Conference that lacks juggernauts like the Golden State Warriors and Spurs to deal with on a yearly basis.



Josh Reynolds/Associated Press


With Durant and another key free-agent signing in the fold, Boston would be positioned to compete perennially with the Cleveland Cavaliers for trips to the NBA Finals as aging cores in Miami, Chicago and Atlanta provide reduced resistance. There will surely be bigger markets (Los Angeles Lakers) and hometown cities (Washington Wizards) to compete with for Durant, but Boston's future looks more promising than either of those franchises.

Oklahoma City still has to be considered a front-runner, due to the fact that it can offer a fifth year on a new contract, which means extra guaranteed money. It would also give Durant an opportunity to finish what he started with the franchise nine years ago, but another early postseason exit may cause a change of heart on that front.

Other organizations, such as the Warriors or Spurs, would give Durant a better opportunity to win immediately than Boston. Those contenders have the stars in place already for Durant to team with.

Adrian Wojnarowski at The Vertical reported in February that the Warriors will be a "serious threat" to sign Durant if he chooses to leave Oklahoma City, but it's worth wondering if Durant would damage his brand by joining a team that is already on pace to have the best regular season in NBA history without him. His fit in San Antonio's frontcourt with Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard could be a bit murky as well when it comes to dividing up shots.

In Boston, there would be no question: It would be his team to lead.

“Are there teams that have advantages in recruiting free agents? Yeah there are, so we have to create advantages that we have,” Ainge explained. “That’s what we are trying to do, create a team and city that players want to come to. That makes it easier.”

With his work over the past three years, Ainge has pushed the Celtics into the conversation for Durant and other major free agents this offseason. There’s no guarantee the team will get strong consideration, or even a meeting with the star forward, but any player looking to excel on both an individual and team basis may very well find a nice mix of both this summer when considering Boston.



Brian Robb covers the Boston Celtics for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise stated. Statistical and salary information used from Basketball-Reference.com.



bob
MY NOTE:  If this was a massage I'd say the writer was giving himself a 'happy ending'.

I still say that, unless we get to the 2nd round and make a credible showing, minimum, I wouldn't count on Durant coming here.  He will get his money no matter where he goes, so our cap room means nothing.  He's an unrestricted free agent too, so we don't have to offer OKC a deal to trade him (not that they would anyway).  So the whole part about our trove of picks is meaningless as it reflects, directly on Durant.  HOWEVER, if Danny feels (or is told by Durant's agent, Roc Nation Sports) that we need another big-time player for him to consider coming to Boston like KG needed more than just Pierce before he agreed, then those picks could come in handy in convincing a 3rd team to part with their star.  Roc Nation Sports, btw, is Jay-Z's sports agency.  Their basketball clients include James Young (yep, OUR James Young).





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I have a feeling KD will re-up with OKC, but man he would a great fit in Boston - not only in terms of X's and O's, but also in terms of the sports culture here. From what I have seen of Durant's demeanor, people in Boston would love him, and nobody diefies their sports heros like Beantown. Hopefully KD realizes this, and considers how bringing the C's another championship would affect his legacy.

one note on the article.

at one point the writers talks of having as much as $55M in cap space. But that can ONLY be done by letting Amir and Jerebko walk on the second year of their deals.

then later he has both players listed as key players for next year.

can't have it both ways.

With Amir and Jerebko back, we are more like $35M under the cap (with the first round picks counted, but NOT the FA holds).

in fact with the holds for the FA's we have (Sully, Zeller and Turner) we have around $20-22M in cap space. ( I am not clear if Sully will have a higher cap hold, due to his play above his draft location).

so for the writer to imply that the Celtics can just sign 2 MAX free agents this off-season, like it would be easy and not require at least a bit of gutting the team, is NOT correct...at least from my perspective.

to get the $50M PLUS needed for TWO max players, Ainge would have to renounce the rights to Sully, Zeller and Turner AND not take the team option on Amir and Jerebko's deals.

is it POSSIBLE....sure

we'd have THREE First round picks AND the TWO Max players replacing those five players.

but to say the "core" of the team would be intact is a stretch for me.

but lets say Ainge somehow gets to sign BOTH Durant and Whiteside to max deals.

what would the roster look like:

Whiteside
Kelly O
Mickey
Crowder
Durant
Young
Bradley
Thomas
Smart
Rozier
Hunter

possible draft picks to fill out the roster:( as you see we'd need big men)

4. Poetl or Sabonis ( a riser)
15. Ellenson or Chriss
22. D. Jones or Hammons

31. C. Levert or W. Selden
35. N. Hayes

The win last night (without Crowder), along with the results of the last time we played GS (2OT loss) could help with Durant's decision making process. Danny would do what he needs to do to make it happen.

Hopefully we don't have to keep James Young to make it happen. (LOL)

gyso

Gyso,

Are you saying that Boston is just not a big enough city for both Durant and Young?

Hmmmm? I'd rather have ............

It would be a major coup if Danny could pull off this one but I think the chance that Durant leaves OKC for Boston is pretty slim.

I think DA will need to first add a guy like Whiteside and then pursue Durant.

Add a kid like Buddy Hield from the draft and Durant may see a very long term positive future.

dboss

Durant has 8 years in the nba and the projected max player salary for 8 yrs service in 2016-17 is about $25.3 million. With a 2016-17 projected salary cap of about $90.0 million the chances of Durant landing with one of the top 6 teams, other than OKC (Bird rights), are highly unlikely. Projected salaries for those 6 teams in 2016-17 are : Cleveland - $86.8 mil, LA Clippers - $82.9 mil, Golden State - $74.2 mil, Toronto - $72.0 mil, OKC - $69.9 mil, (Bird rights), San Antonio - $62.4 mil ( Does not include $20.5 mil for Aldridge ). So from a financial and projected team potential talent level I would think that the Celtics chances are as good as any other team with the exception of OKC. Just an opinion with perhaps a lot of wishful hope.

swish

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/scalabrine-guaranteeing-perkins-said-good-things-about-cs-durant



SCALABRINE: 'GUARANTEEING' PERKINS SAID GOOD THINGS ABOUT C'S TO DURANT


By CSN Video April 07, 2016 1:45 AM





Brian Scalabrine thinks Kendrick Perkins let Kevin Durant know how special it is to play in Boston, and explains why he thinks the Celtics are realistically on Kevin Durant’s radar.

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/scalabrine-guaranteeing-perkins-said-good-things-about-cs-durant?guid=ScalPerk406&t=125



bob
MY NOTE:  Video available via the link provided.

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