The Celtics intended pursuit of Kevin Durant is the worst kept secret in the NBA. Yahoo’s Chris Mannix reiterates “the plan” in a Celtics post-mortem:
Ainge will be aggressive in free agency, team sources told The Vertical, and yes, that means a run at Kevin Durant. The Celtics believe Durant will meet with them this summer, but they know that meeting won’t accomplish much unless there are significant moves leading into it. Durant will be 28 in September, and the former MVP isn’t interested in hearing what a team could someday become. He wants to win now, which is why Golden State and San Antonio expect to be appealing, why Oklahoma City is still very much in play. Boston needs a deal for Jimmy Butler, a commitment from Al Horford, a carrot to dangle in front of Durant to persuade him that relocating east is the smart play.
Mannix is clearly a big fan of Danny Ainge’s work. He uses the adjectives “brilliant” and “masterful” to describe the rebuild, words you’ll never hear from 90% of the Boston media.
Golden State and San Antonio are a head above the Celtics, but Boston is the only place where Durant will be the man (including OKC). Whiffing on Durant will hurt, but Mannix stresses it won’t be the end of the world (provided we get the 1st or 2nd pick in the upcoming draft).
Speaking of the draft, Isaiah Thomas will represent the Celtics at the lottery on May 17. He’ll also continue to do some heavy recruiting in the offseason:
Does Isaiah Thomas know Kevin Durant? “I do,” he smiled. “He played for the Sonics so I know him a little bit.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 29, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Isaiah on FAs: If you don’t want to play in Boston, you don’t know basketball.
— Brian Robb (@CelticsHub) April 29, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
