Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“I love the way they approached me during [free agency],” said the 28-year-old Johnson, a veteran of 10 NBA seasons including the last six with the Toronto Raptors. “Nine o’clock, Pacific Time, Boston was the first one to call. Danny Ainge called me first then coach Stevens. They approached me well. They respect the type of player I am. And they gave me a number and it was a no-brainer from there.”

What was Boston’s pitch?

“They like the way I play and the way I fit into their system, the way the offense is run,” said Johnson. “I just love the way they approached me. They knew what kind of player I was. They respect my game. [Signing was] just a no-brainer.”

ESPN Boston: Celtics full-court press helped land Johnson

With Isaiah Thomas out singing Boston’s praises to anyone who’d listen and now Amir Johnson explaining how dedicated Boston was to signing him, the signal has gone out to other free agents that Boston ain’t such a bad deal after all.

Much has been made of Boston as a free agent destination, and I’m not going to rehash that all here. But people who say players don’t want to come to Boston fail to take into account that Boston hasn’t really had money to spend since the Pitino era… and we didn’t really need many free agents before then.

Places like New York and Los Angeles aren’t pulling guys in just because they’re New York and Los Angeles anymore. Teams not only need money, or location, they need to be in stable situations. The Spurs had money and a ready-made winner, so they got the top free agent prize of the summer when LaMarcus Aldridge said no to the Lakers. San Antonio is a sprawling city in a small television market, and it isn’t quite known for its nightlife, but it still got the guy because they’re ready to win now.

Boston couldn’t quite go after Aldridge with any sort of meaningful pitch other than “we promise to build around you.” So they moved to the “building around” part first in Johnson and others and they hope to find the star in a year or two (unless they can pull off a trade before then).

The running theme about the Amir Johnson signing has been “Boston’s going to love this guy.” He’s got all the ingredients to be Boston’s next “fan favorite” with his willingness to hustle every second he’s on the floor and his ability to defend multiple positions while scoring a few points while he’s at it.

We’ll have to wait and see what other impact players decide to make the same decision Johnson did. Boston won’t be short of money over the next few years. They won’t be short of assets with which to make deals. If the Celtics can’t build a winner over the next couple of years, then something will have gone terribly wrong.

Related links: Globe: Johnson, Celtics appear to be perfect match  |  Herald: Free agent prize likes what he sees of mates  | CSNNE: Johnson: No Brainer to join Celtics  |  MassLive: Johnson was wooed by Boston’s aggressive pursuit

Page 2: Isaiah Thomas had hand surgery

Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas told the Globe late Saturday that he had surgery four weeks ago to remove a cyst in his left hand that was caused by a procedure last summer.

Thomas said that surgeons also “cleaned out a few things” in the wrist during the surgery. He said he hopes to be 100 percent in 2 to 4 weeks.

“Working on my right hand while I’m down lol,” said Thomas in a text message.

Globe: Isaiah Thomas reveals he had hand surgery

Welcome to the early offseason, where guys reveal all their “cleaned out a few things” surgeries. I don’t expect this to be a big deal, which I think says a lot about how far surgeries like this have come. A small incision, a little scope, some snips, some stitches, and in a few weeks, you’re good as new.

Related links: Mass Live: Isaiah Thomas rehabbing from offseason wrist surgery

And Finally…

Danny Ainge talked about the offseason with the NBA TV crew during last night’s Summer League game.

Notable things Ainge said:

• Terry Rozier has Avery Bradley-type defensive ability and mentality
• Amir Johnson and David Lee are winning players who will fit into the Celtics culture, even though they’re not perfect
• RJ Hunter is making great strides, and his length is helping him. He needs to get stronger and better on defense
• Ainge is a bit dismissive about the need for a shot-blocking big saying “sometimes when you get rim protection you sacrifice other things.”
• Jordan Mickey could provide some rim protection, but he’ll have to beat out a few guys to get on the floor
• “we’ve tried to make some blockbuster deals, we’ve tried to make some big trades, but it’s probably better that we didn’t with the price of admission for those trades right now.”
• Jared Sullinger is healthy and working really hard.
• Jae Crowder is fine and ready to go

Again, Ainge brings up the fact that the Celtics tried to make that big blockbuster and couldn’t get it done. He also brought up that it might be a good thing because he was really offering up a lot… maybe more than he should have. On one hand, it gives me confidence that he’s not afraid to make a big offer for what he wants. On the other, I get a tiny twinge of “is Danny getting desperate” in those statements. It’s hard to say since I’m not in the room when he makes the calls, but I just wonder if other GM’s know that Ainge might just keep tacking on assets if they say “no” rather than play some hardball with them at this point.

We’ll have to wait and see for the answer. Ainge seems to be trying. Well see if anyone is buying.

The rest of the links:

Globe: Jordan’s change of heart is a cautionary tale  |  Herald: Officials use offseason for improving, fine tuning  |  Terry Rozier nearly fell prey to tough ‘hood as a kid  |  CSNNE: Smart dominant defensively  |  Former Penn coach Allen joins Celtics staff  |  Celtics beat Blazers to open Vegas Summer League  |  Pressey no longer with Summer League team  |  Hunter ready to take advantage with Young out  |  Pierce writes an “inside look” at Jordan saga  |  ESPN Boston: C’s set to add Allen to staff  |  MassLive: Stevens “incredibly impressed” with new assistant Jerome Allen |  Stevens on Rozier: I don’t want him to harness the burst  |  Team still debating whether to include Pressey or Babb in Lee deal