Terrance Knighton, Patriots DT, Plans to Recruit Kevin Durant to Celtics

New England Patriots defensive tackle Terrance Knighton wants to see a big name join him in Boston this summer. But he won't be playing on a football field. 

This week, Knighton told reporters, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com, that he'll attempt to recruit Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, who will be a free agent at season's end, to the Boston Celtics this summer:

"

I'm leaving him alone right now. Letting him finish up. I love how he's playing. I hope that he wins [an NBA title], kind of hope that he doesn't. But as soon as the season's over, if he's hoisting the trophy or not, I'll be texting him every day, calling him, flying down to OKC. I'll be in his ear a lot. Trust me.

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Durant and the Thunder are up three games to two on the defending-champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, putting them one win away from a date with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a chance to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 

Knighton, who signed with New England in March after seven years in the league with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins, made it clear that he wanted Durant in the same market in 2016:

Per Forsberg, the two were introduced "a few years back," and they "clicked." Knighton even flew down to Oklahoma City recently and played some one-on-one with Durant (warning: NSFW language):

Durant, a Washington, D.C., native, has been linked with his hometown Wizards this summer. But reports from The Vertical's Chris Mannix in April revealed Durant's friends claimed he won't be going to Washington because he "isn't all that keen on returning to play in the city in which he grew up."

In that same report, Mannix stated that Boston "lurks as a dark horse." While it might be a long shot for the Celtics to believe Durant could one day don the green and white, fans could take solace in knowing they have a representative of their city close to the Thunder star, selling the Celtics the best he can.