Kevin Durant is faced with free agency questions in every city he travels. New York and Los Angeles have both pressured Durant for comments about his thoughts regarding the cities and now Boston is no different. With an expiring contract to his name, several teams are preparing to pursue the Oklahoma City Thunder star this summer. So when Durant arrived early before his matchup against the Celtics, everyone wanted to know if he could play in this city.
The Boston Celtics are planning on being very active come the offseason. Loaded with draft picks and tradable assets, the Celtics are in position to make some noise once free agency begins. Team president Danny Ainge wants a marquee star on the roster and Durant fits the bill. As the Thunder prepare to face off against the Celtics on Wednesday night, Durant is saying some wonderful things about the team and city that has fans excited.
"I like the city a lot," Durant said. "It's cold but they love sports here. It's a family atmosphere I feel when I walk around the city. So yeah, I like it a lot."
Durant went on to compliment head coach Brad Stevens and the way he has built up the roster. He noted that Marcus Smart is a great point guard while the rest of players are scrappy with good work ethics. Fans will read into this as a notion that the Celtics stand a chance at signing Durant, but the franchise has just as good of a shot as anyone else. It is no secret that the Celtics will make a run at Durant, just like every other team in the league, but they are in a better position to actually succeed.
The Celtics will enter the offseason with $34 million in guaranteed salaries committed for next season. They can create more space by passing on options for Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko. Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger are the Celtics' restricted free agents while Evan Turner is the only player without some kind of deal to return. That means Boston has the means to sign two max free agents this upcoming summer. Durant will be a name they chase.
Durant's comments regarding Boston are in no way telling of what he will do this summer. He is not hinting that the Celtics are at the top of his list. Durant is well aware that everything he says about opponents will be highly speculated upon. The former MVP has made it clear that things are truly wide open when it comes to free agency this summer, but he has yet to really consider what he wants to do.
"I like the fact that our game is growing," Durant said. "That's my whole thing, just to grow the game of basketball and leave my mark on it. ...You could just look it as a positive thing, that our game is growing and you can be able to do whatever you want as an owner, a (general manager) as a player, and ultimately that's what you want: to make a decision on your own and to make a decision that makes you happy. That makes everything just wide open at this point."
