Kevin Durant Comments on City of Boston, Marcus Smart, More
With the Boston Celtics being viewed as an intriguing candidate to sign Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant this coming offseason, all eyes were on KD Wednesday prior to OKC's game against the C's at TD Garden.
Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman provided comments from the seven-time All-Star, who was quite complimentary of the city of Boston in particular:
While that doesn't necessarily mean Durant has interest in signing with the Celtics, some will inevitably make that connection, especially after ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg wrote about Boston's desire to make a run at the 27-year-old superstar.
In addition to the city of Boston, Durant discussed the team, including guard Marcus Smart, who will be tasked with slowing down the four-time scoring champion Wednesday, per Jay King of MassLive.com:
"Marcus Smart, he's a terrific competitor. He plays hard. He's a little guy that can defend three positions so I have my work cut out for me. I'm looking forward to it. I've been watching this team a lot. And they're scrappy. They play hard. They love their coach, they love their system, and especially in this building they play with a lot of energy. So it's going to be a tough test.
"
Durant also expressed excitement to play in Boston since injuries have prevented him from doing so in recent years:
"It's been a while. I haven't played here in a while. Before this game I was hoping that everything goes well our last game so I could finally play here. It's been three years since I played (in Boston), so, yeah, looking forward to it. They're some of the best fans in the world and definitely support their team.
"
With the Thunder currently sitting third in the Western Conference, Durant's focus is likely primarily on making a run at a championship.
He has an uphill climb ahead of him with both the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs standing in his way, but OKC's talent level is undeniable.
Boston may well turn out to be an attractive destination for Durant when the time comes to make that decision. Brad Stevens has emerged as one of the game's best young coaches, pushing a roster completely lacking in stars into playoff contention each of the last two seasons. With a boatload of draft picks left over from the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce heist, the Celtics could easily pair Durant with another star-caliber player via trade.
The Celts can also offer a chance for Durant to be the true alpha dog again after co-starring with Russell Westbrook. But one can only assume the Celtics will have competition from the bulk of the league as well.
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