Celtics Rumors: Latest on Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and More

Friday begins what could be the start of a public apology from the Boston Celtics and team president Danny Ainge to the fans.

Based on some of the rumors making the rounds, the Celtics seem ready to put odd draft selections such as Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic behind them and swap those names out for guys such as, say, Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant.

Sounds ambitious, but Ainge is one of the league's masterminds, and it's not a stretch to think in a few months he'll get to wag a finger at the naysayers Dikembe Mutombo-style and say, "I told ya so."

With the rumors hitting a chaotic pitch ahead of Friday's big opening of the free-agency market, here's the latest.

Guerschon Yabusele to Make an Appearance? 

Call this a warm-up before the big fish.

Yabusele was a confusing selection at No. 16. Boston could have gone with recognizable names such as Henry Ellenson, Brice Johnson or even Skal Labissiere—just a sampling of the names taken at later spots.

Not even the prospect himself expected the Celtics to grab him.

"No, nobody was expecting," Yabusele said, according to ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg. "I see them coming close to me, see my name. So I was really surprised to be in here, but I was so happy."

A 6'8", 240-pound forward with solid upside, most chalked Yabusele as a draft-and-stash and called it a day. It might be the wrong line of thinking, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe:

It would be quite a surprise to see Yabusele anywhere near the Celtics so soon because he seemed like a prospect who would spend a few years away from the team until it both needed him and thought he was ready.

Even with interest in major names and only so many roster spots available, it's clear folks might need to keep an eye on Yabusele.

Boston 1 of 4 in Early July with KD

Boston and Durant have been linked for a while.

While said link hasn't been anything official, it's simple logic. The superstar's demeanor matches the organization well, and if Durant wants to head to the Eastern Conference, a playoff-caliber roster with room to grow awaits in Boston.

Such threads of logic are why it isn't much of a surprise to find out Boston is one of the first places Durant will meet at the turn of the month, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard:

Granted, Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder will rank highly no matter the order.

It's also hard to imagine Durant won't make all the rounds out of due diligence, but a team with a hard sell like the San Antonio Spurs might be something to worry about. In fact, if one was to construct a list of teams the Celtics wouldn't want in front of them in line, it would probably start with one as prestigious as the Spurs and end with one run brilliantly by Pat Riley.

Still, Boston has plenty to offer, and it's nothing short of good news the Celtics sit where they do. As far as the Eastern Conference goes, the New York Knicks are one injury from an abyss, and the Miami Heat, Riley or not, have issues such as Chris Bosh to figure out.

Laundry list of meetings or not, it's hard to see Durant ditching Oklahoma City after coming up one game short of the Finals. He's taking the visits, though, and the Celtics don't have a ton of time to put together what better be a Don Draper-esque presentation.

Celtics in on Dwight Howard

To be blunt, it was also pretty clear the Celtics would take a stab at Howard. 

Again, nothing concrete. But Howard is now seeming to exit his prime and, warranted or not, doesn't have a sterling reputation in the eyes of the public. Few locales need what he offers, especially when the market also happens to include guys like Hassan Whiteside and Al Horford.

Add in Boston's dire need for rim protection, and one has the perfect logical connection.

It's coming to fruition, too, as Broussard and Marc Stein revealed Boston gets one of the first meetings with D12: "The Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics are the first known teams to secure face-to-face recruiting meetings with free-agent big man Dwight Howard, according to league sources."

Presuming Howard might feel like a backup plan for the Atlanta Hawks if the team loses Horford, the Celtics might stand as the front-runner for Howard.

Now 30 years old, Howard still offers the rim protection the Celtics need, averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game last year with the Houston Rockets. Recall, too, that Howard was at his best with the Orlando Magic when he was the only "star" on the team, having failed to play well with the Los Angeles Lakers for a season and Houston for three.

If Howard is the only "star" Boston grabs, it's still a major win. He's a large upgrade on Kelly Olynyk and others, and his sucking defenders into the paint and passing out well will only benefit Isaiah Thomas and the rest of the backcourt.

Make it two critical meetings in the coming days impacting the organization's future. No pressure, Celtics. 

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.