Why would durant come here?

[spikelovetheCelts]

I, like most good, realistic and knowledgeable Celticsbloggers, have always felt that the chances of landing Durant in Boston are pretty remote. No let me correct that, extremely remote. Durant is in an excellent situation in OKC playing alongside Westbrook. Their incredible talents have been held back by poor coaching, IMHO. Maybe this year they overcome that. If they do his chances of leaving are 0%.

But even if they fail this year, that OKC team is just some better coaching by Donovan and an excellent role playing 3rd/4th option player away from being in the same atmosphere as GSW. It will be better for Durant to sign his 5 year deal in OKC(something he can't get elsewhere) and let the management team find that one player to add rather than Durant going to a team like Boston where Ainge would need to do more substantial work to get Boston to the same area OKC is already in.

I am not hopeful in any way shape or form of Durant coming here. I hope Ainge trades for some star talent and/or leaves his options open for the 2017 free agency period.

I don't agree that his situation in OKC is excellent. They have had 8 years of KD+Westbrook together on that team, not to mention Harden and Ibaka, and they haven't won a championship. And there is a reason: their management sucks. They shipped out Harden for peanuts. They blew cap space on Enes Kanter. They traded for Dion Waiters. They hired Billy Donovan. I don't think Durant is going to find a better situation next year, but longer term he's got to think about what management team is going to make the smart moves that are needed to win a banner.

Kanter and Waiters have looked in this series. Westbrook is a reason to stay not leave. KD wants rings not MVP's. He is in a good place. Billy Outcoached Pop last night in game 5. When they win Thursday night in OKC he will see why he needs to stay. They have great fans and he is King there.  I think we should take their lead if we get a top 2 pick and build through the draft.

[indeedproceed]

let's remember last year. OKC without Durant isn't a playoff team in a competitive western conference.
Celts without Durant are. I

We would not have been a playoff team in a competitive Western conference.

[td450]

There are a lot of teams with enough cap space, so the odds for any given team are long.

Durant has to deal with a lot of emotions when evaluating his relationship with OKC, but he has to see the truth about their management team. Outside of Durant and Westbrook, the current roster is the weakest they've had in the Durant era. They have shed a staggering amount of talent in the last 5 years. They ruined the development of Ibaka, who they bet on as the third star. They are one of the few teams without salary flexibility, so they can't improve in the short term. and they replaced their below average coach with another below average coach.

The C's are in the opposite situation. They have great management and a great coach. They have a very young 48 win team on the rise, with defensive toughness and depth built in.  They have a treasure trove of assets and plenty of cap space. If Durant was in the fold, Ainge would still have to add a couple of more talented players to our front court, and perhaps one additional reliable shooter to contend for a championship, but given the assets he has, the odds would be pretty high he could get it done. All the really hard stuff would already be in place.

[Casperian]

The chances of landing Durant are tiny, miniscule, almost non-existent, imo.

So you're saying there is a chance?

Yeah, a tiny, miniscule, almost non-existent chance...

...which is pretty amazing in and of itself, when you think about it.

[D Dub]

1-  C's have the best set of perimeter defenders in the league

2-  C's already have one all star who he'd mesh well with in P/R

3-  C's are loaded with assets & the know-how to properly build a team

4-  C's are building a state of the art downtown practice facility for him

5-  C's have a top 3 head coach with longevity ahead of him

6-  Neither Brooks nor Donavon has been able to get away from an ISO heavy offense

7-  Westbrook still wants to prove he's the better player, despite being his teammate

8-  He needs a change of scenery from the brutal Western conference

9-  Moving back to your hometown after becoming rich/famous isn't that awesome

10- He'd get to duel Lebron on a regular basis, beat him; cement legacy as top 10 GOAT

[LooseCannon]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

[LooseCannon]

let's remember last year. OKC without Durant isn't a playoff team in a competitive western conference.
Celts without Durant are. I

We would not have been a playoff team in a competitive Western conference.

You don't think the Celtics could finish ahead of Dallas, Memphis, and Houston?

[Moranis]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

Washington has John Wall and Bradley Beal.

[dannyboy35]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

  Who would be the #1 if not Durant??

[dannyboy35]

I mean on San Antonio??

[celticsclay]

let's remember last year. OKC without Durant isn't a playoff team in a competitive western conference.
Celts without Durant are. I

We would not have been a playoff team in a competitive Western conference.

This is a bizarre take. The bottom of the west limped into the playoffs and were not good over the course of the season.

[Donoghus]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

Washington has John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Which doesn't exactly equate to a brighter future than Boston's.

[indeedproceed]

let's remember last year. OKC without Durant isn't a playoff team in a competitive western conference.
Celts without Durant are. I

We would not have been a playoff team in a competitive Western conference.

You don't think the Celtics could finish ahead of Dallas, Memphis, and Houston?

The comment was for last season, and the Thunder missed the playoffs with 45 wins, so no, I don't think we would've made it.

This season yeah, I think we'd get in. I don't think we'd get 48 wins though.

[Moranis]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

Washington has John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Which doesn't exactly equate to a brighter future than Boston's.

I think it does as John Wall is clearly better than any Celtic and Beal might be as well.  And it isn't like they are old guys.

[jpotter33]

Everyone agrees that Durant is most likely to stay in OKC, but also that his return is not etched in stone.

Within the small percentage of the time that he does go elsewhere, the argument is that no team can be seen as having a clearly better chance than Boston.  Golden State and San Antonio are better teams with more of an opportunity for a ring, but he won't be the clear #1 player on either team.  Hometown Washington doesn't have a brighter future than Boston.

Washington has John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Which doesn't exactly equate to a brighter future than Boston's.

I think it does as John Wall is clearly better than any Celtic and Beal might be as well.  And it isn't like they are old guys.

Beal essentially is. He's basically on a career-long minutes restriction.