The Boston Celtics’ chances of landing Kevin Durant in free agency this offseason still are, at the moment, pretty slim.
But the Oklahoma City Thunder star, whose five-year, $89 million contract expires at the end of the season, either didn’t get that memo or really likes stirring the pot, because he did just that Wednesday.
The Thunder are in Boston to face the Celtics in Durant’s first game action at TD Garden since November 2012. At OKC’s morning shootaround, Durant was asked what he thought of the city. So he decided to compliment it.
“I like the city a lot,” Durant said, via MassLive.com’s Jay King. “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.”
Of course, just because Durant is enjoying his brief stay in Boston doesn’t mean the seven-time NBA All-Star will wear Celtics green next season. After all, Kevin Love seemed to enjoy his trip to Boston in the summer of 2014, and we all know where he ended up.
But Boston’s “family atmosphere”  isn’t the only thing Durant believes the Celtics have going for them.
“They play hard,” Durant added. “They love their coach, they love their system, and especially in this building they play with a lot of energy.”
What makes Durant’s comments most intriguing, of course, is that Boston landing him in free agency this summer isn’t completely out of the question. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge has the Celtics in a strong position for the future with plenty of draft picks and a roster filled with promising young talent, making Boston an enticing free-agent destination.
Durant will have plenty of suitors, but the Celtics will be one of them, and KD certainly didn’t slam the door shut on Boston with his comments Wednesday.
“Before this game, I was hoping that everything goes well our last game so I could finally play here,” Durant added. “It’s been three years since I played (in Boston), so, yeah, looking forward to it. They’re some of the best fans in the world and definitely support their team.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
