We’ve heard from nearly every team in the NBA, that has any sort of cap space to sign a max or close to max player, that they intend to chase Kevin Durant in the offseason. We can try to pry and suggest and guess where he is going, but at the end of the day, there are only a select few, including Kendrick Perkins, who know what Durant is thinking. The overall suggestion is that Durant’s decision has a lot to do with how well the Oklahoma City Thunder do this year in the NBA Playoffs, and that will be a big topic as they face off the San Antonio Spurs in the 2nd round starting Saturday in San Antonio. What will Kevin Durant decide?
He has more than a couple of options, but it seems to be the Thunder, Lakers, Knicks, Raptors, Wizards, Rockets, Heat and now the Celtics who will be making the biggest push for Durantula this offseason. The Boston Celtics lost last night 104-92 in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks, eliminating them from the NBA Playoffs in the 1st round, but pay no attention to the final result, because this Celtics team is a lot better than it seems. A team who was the 7th seed last year, and improved to the 5th seed this year under guidance of coach Brad Stevens, has learned the meaning of team basketball and hard-nosed defense, which starts with Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. I’m sure both those players will be deciding factors in Durant’s decision-making process this summer with Boston.
According to Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports and The Vertical:
$16 million in cap room – $33 million if Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson are cut loose – and eight picks in the upcoming draft, including three in the first round and one with a solid chance of landing inside the top three. The Celtics could continue to rebuild slowly, organically, but those who know Ainge know that just isn’t his style.
“Everybody understands and knows Danny, and the things that Danny does,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. “So we’re excited to see what he has in mind.”
Ainge will be aggressive in free agency, team sources told The Vertical, and yes, that means a run at Kevin Durant. The Celtics believe Durant will meet with them this summer, but they know that meeting won’t accomplish much unless there are significant moves leading into it.
The Boston Celtics are ready to take that next step forward as a team and become potential contenders in the Eastern Conference and in the NBA. They are a couple of key pieces away from being in that position, but Durant will catapult them into that discussion. Personally, I see Durant re-signing in Oklahoma for another year, and then make his big dip into the market next year with teammate Russell Westbrook with him. For now, both players will be focusing on a matchup that definitely deserves their attention, the San Antonio Spurs. Game 1 is on Saturday in San Antonio and you can already get the feeling this is going to be a memorable series.
