Al Horford held up a green No. 42 jersey Friday morning in Waltham, Mass., addressing the media for the first time as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Horford, who earlier this week agreed to a four-year max contract with Boston, was the biggest free-agent acquisition in Celtics history. And according to him, the C’s came close to landing an even bigger one: former NBA MVP Kevin Durant.
“I talked to Kevin,” Horford said in an interview with CSNNE after his introductory news conference. “I can’t speak for him now, but I have to say that he definitely considered the possibility. At the end of the day, he had to do what was best for him, but yeah, during the offseason, I definitely talked to him and several other free agents.”
Horford added: “(Durant) knows what kind of fans are here. And the fact that he was considering Boston speaks volumes of not only the fans but the organization and how much respect he has for the coach and everything.”
The Celtics made a spirited pitch to Durant, sending a recruiting posse that included New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to the Hamptons last weekend to meet with the former Oklahoma City Thunder star.
Durant ultimately opted to take his talents to Golden State — where he’ll join Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to form one of the most formidable rosters the NBA has ever seen — but Horford is confident the Celtics’ days of being unappealing to big-time free agents are over.
“It’s a great organization,” Horford said during his introductory presser. “There’s a lot of history here. I feel like everyone around the league respects it. We acknowledge it, and that’s a big part of the reason why I chose to come here. I feel like in years to come, this will open the doors for many other big free agents. You have to consider, this is a special place. And I think that people that are open to it, they’ll see how special this place is.”
Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
