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

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.

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)

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.

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)

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.