Boston Celtics Rumors: Multiple Prominent Free Agents Interested in Joining Team

Multiple "prominent free agents" praised the Boston Celtics in an article published Wednesday and expressed interest in potentially signing with them during the offseason.

In a piece written by Keith P. Smith of CelticsBlog, two players classified as prominent free agents and two categorized as veteran free agents anonymously discussed the positive factors surrounding the Celtics that could sway them to sign with the team.

A prominent Western Conference free agent took note of how well Celtics fans treated Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce in Boston last season and acknowledged that and other things could persuade him to sign with the C's:

"The history, the fans, [head coach] Brad [Stevens], the talent, the picks coming, yeah you have to factor it in. But the fans do matter. I remember talking to Paul once and he said 'I understood why I had to leave, but I never wanted to. But [general manager] Danny [Ainge] always does what is best for the team. And the fans love that. And they've never shown me, KG and the other guys anything but love.' So, yeah that stuff matters for sure. We're human. We want to be appreciated. And that place made [Brian] Scalabrine an all-time legend. So it does matter when you make a choice on where to play. Big time."

A prominent Eastern Conference free agent agreed with the assessment that the passion of the fans could contribute to him potentially landing in Boston:

"Absolutely. No one wants to play in a place where the fans don't care. We all know Boston fans can be critical, but that is cool. They expect to win. As a player, you want that pressure. And KG, Paul, all those guys, they tell you that if you win in Boston you become a legend. Everyone wants to be a legend."

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (h/t Real GM) said Wednesday that Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward are the Celtics' top two targets in free agency and that they are true threats to sign one of them.

Wojnarowski also said that the Pierce situation in Boston made a hugely positive impact on Griffin.

The Celtics finished first in the Eastern Conference this season before falling in five games to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston has a strong core that includes Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart. It also owns the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft and is widely expected to select Washington guard Markelle Fultz.

If Fultz and a marquee free agent join the mix, the Celtics figure to be a much bigger threat to the Cavs' Eastern Conference supremacy in 2017-18 and beyond.