NBA Rumors: Celtics called Kevin Durant again on Sunday
By Tom West
Kevin Durant’s NBA free agency decision has reportedly come down to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, but the Boston Celtics haven’t given up.
The entire NBA world is in a startling level of suspense right now over Kevin Durant’s free agency decision. Never mind that it’s July 4th. The basketball world knows it’s Kevin Durant day, and even if this comes to an end and he stays with the Oklahoma City Thunder after all, there will still be crushed fan bases.
Primarily, that refers to the Golden State Warriors if he stays put. At this late stage of tense waiting, all reports on the matter indicate that Durant’s choose comes down to the 73-9 team that eliminated him from the playoffs and his beloved Thunder.
The Boston Celtics aren’t leaving the sweepstakes easily, though. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders has reported that they made a final phone call to Durant on Sunday night to make leave their best impression possible.
Sources say that the Boston Celtics called Kevin Durant's camp last night in an effort to make strong final impression before his decision.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 4, 2016
Kennedy also posted a recent tweet that Durant is torn between the Warriors and Thunder, but is that really news at this stage? He surely knows by now, no matter how hard this decision may have been, and his article for The Players’ Tribune is probably receiving its final tweaks.
Either way, the Celtics are clearly desperate to see themselves catapulted even further up the NBA’s power rankings with the acquisition of Durant. A final phone call pitch, just like other teams have done, is hardly surprising.
The best thing the Celtics have going for them is that they landed their star in Al Horford. He was the best two-way center on the market this summer and he’s one of the best two-way bigs in the NBA altogether. From his improved jump shot to his rim protection and ability to cover the perimeter, landing him was a huge boost for the Celtics.
Reports emerged that Horford wouldn’t be a decisive factor in Kevin Durant choosing the Celtics, though. It’s still primarily a two-horse race between Golden State and Oklahoma City.
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