Boston Celtics Need Horford to Land Durant

The Boston Celtics Need to secure Al Horford in order to bring in Kevin Durant

With free agency just around the corner, the Kevin Durant sweepstakes are in full swing and the Boston Celtics managed to be one of the five initial teams to be given a meeting. While the Celtics certainly do not have the high end talent of the other teams Durant is metting with, they are in the unique position to give out two max contracts this offseason, and truly build a team around Durant, rather than have him integrate.

The Celtics’ abundance of cap space has made them the only team to have scheduled meeting with both Durant and Al Horford and that may be the most important thing in luring Durant to Boston.

The Celtics need to find a way to make themselves a more attractive option than the true juggernauts in the West. Evan if the Clippers, Warriors or Spurs would not be able to stay entirely intact while bringing in Durant, the Celtics are still not in a position to contend like those other teams, and that’s where Horford comes in.

It is not even enough that the Celtics simply get two max contract free agents. With the upcoming cap increase and a relatively weak free agency class, there may not be another player that the Celtics can add that would make them an attractive enough of an option for Durant.

Th key with Horford is that means Durant will not have to wait at all to be a contender. There is no doubting that any team that adds Durant will be relevant in their playoff race, but that is a completely different thing than truly contending for a title. The Celtics finished tied for third in the east, but still knew that they were not even close to the talent they needed to be contenders.

With players like Harrison Barnes, Bradley Beal or even Festus Ezeli expected to get max contract offers, the Celtics do not have many options when it comes to assembling a new big three in Boston.

Another thing that makes bringing in the tandem of Durant and Horford so appealing is that the Celtics will be sacrificing next to nothing when it comes to current players contributing. Their front court was an absolute mess last season. Kelly Olynyk was the only consistently good and reliable player in their front court, and he did that off the bench. If these guys were brought in, both Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson wouldn’t be brought back and that could happen even if they don’t add in free agency.

The Celtics have established a core of guards that they can win with, and adding arguably the best front court in the NBA would undoubtedly put them right there with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the east.

Durant and Horford will also compliment the Celtics’ style wonderfully. They will not be expected to carry the load on the defensive end. With Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, the Celtics have proven that they can be successful on defense despite no rim protection whatsoever.

The Celtics know they can get enough defense from their guards and if they can add the unparalleled offense that Durant and Horford would bring, the Celtics finally have a scenario where they can say they are a better situation than Durant’s other suitors.

The biggest difference for the Celtics in adding Horford and Durant is that Durant can have the necessary talent around him, while having the team and offense built entirely around him. Isaiah Thomas has proven that he can be a willing distributor and jacking up shots has never been an issue with Horford.

More so than any other option on his list of meetings, Durant can know that the Celtics will change anything and do whatever is necessary to make sure that this becomes Durant’s team though and through, and with their pace and unselfish ball movement, Durant can know that he will be in an ideal position to personally succeed, as well as succeed as a title contender. Brad Stevens will do everything to make sure all of the offense is run through Durant and he continually remains the top option.

The problem for the Celtics is that offering to build their team around Durant is not enough. Making him that much of a focal point of their offense is the edge they have over other teams, but the priority needs to be making sure the team around him is a true title contender right away.

Much of the Celtics’ appeal is their youth and promise but that does not do enough for Durant right now. Getting Horford to go along with Thomas will give Durant all the offensive help that he could hope for, and barring a regression by multiple players, their guards will bring the defense they need to contend. Throw in that Both Durant and Horford have proven that they can be strong defenders, and the Celtics should be one of the best defenses in the league.

Horford’s ability to be a sound defender while stretching the floor is exactly what the Celtics have been looking for in their front court and to get it from a player who excels the way Horford does drastically changes the outlook of this team, with or without Durant.

Right now, there may not be another free agent available that can make the Celtics talented enough to be the best possible destination for Durant.

Next: What if the Celtics Whiff in Free Agency?

Getting arguably the two best free agents in one class is an unrealistic expectation but with how much Ainge has talked about getting the transcendent talent, now would be an ideal time to finally bring in the high level players that he has been searching for since the rebuild began.