The Boston Celtics entered the summer as one of the biggest threats to nab one or two of the top free agents available.
Danny Ainge went out to the field armed with significant cap space and a bevy of assets, and he set his eyes on Kevin Durant and Al Horford – two of the top five players in the open market.
Boston had serious potential and they hoped that acquiring both Durant and Horford could instantly translate to the same type of success that the team achieved in the first year of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in Beantown.
Everyone knows how Ainge’s grand plan turned out, and in a recent interview with Chris Mannix of The Vertical, Celtics coach Brad Stevens shared the team’s pitches to the two All-Stars.
“We’ll go into each. When we met with Al and tried to, in a different way because they’re different positions and different players, show why he’s such a good fit for us. Obviously, we did the same with Kevin. You try to show why you’re close, why your group and this organization has a great shot and is making progress and moving forward. “
“Again, I thought it was a really productive time — not productive enough in Kevin’s case, but certainly with Al it was and we’re looking forward to keep making progress.”
As legitimate as the Celtics’ selling point was, they have the young yet experienced personnel and one of the best coaches in the league, it’s hard to blame Kevin Durant for choosing the Golden State Warriors based on the potential to win.
While they lost Jared Sullinger to the Toronto Raptors, Al Horford is definitely a major upgrade at the center position. With the All-Star center in tow, the Boston Celtics are still in very good shape, especially in the Eastern Conference.
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