NBA players say the Celtics have a reputation for the best free-agent pitches in the league
"If you bring Tom Brady? That's pretty damn cool."
Los Angeles, Miami, and the Bay Area may have Boston beat when it comes to the weather. However, NBA players say the Celtics still have the best free-agent pitch in the league.
ESPN recently conducted a survey of 48 anonymous NBA players about the coming free agency period this offseason. According to the results released Monday, a 27-percent plurality said the Celtics are known for making the best pitches. No other team got more than 15 percent of the vote.
Which team have you heard makes the best free-agent pitches?
Celtics: 27 percent
Heat: 15 percent
Lakers: 12 percent
Warriors: 9 percent
Other: 37 percent
Others gaining votes: Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Knicks, Mavericks, Pacers, Rockets, Spurs, Wizards
“Boston [has the best],” an unnamed Eastern Conference guard told ESPN. “If you bring Tom Brady? That’s pretty damn cool.”
Indeed, Kevin Durant has admitted that Brady’s presence during his free agency meeting with the Celtics in 2016 nearly swayed his ultimate decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors.
“I was ready to just say, ‘OK, let’s go,'” Durant told reporters later that summer. “Just seeing someone so successful at his craft. He’s a great ambassador for the game of football and the city of Boston. It’s great to be in the presence of such greatness. But at the same time, I knew I couldn’t let that distract me.”
Durant said at the time that the Celtics’ playing style and coach, Brad Stevens, were also compelling factors in their pitch.
Despite losing Durant to the Warriors, the Celtics have recently proved appealing for other NBA stars. The team has successfully lured two other major free agents — Al Horford and Gordon Hayward — in the last two offseasons, in addition to acquiring Kyrie Irving in a trade.
Hayward explained last summer that the “winning culture,” the legacy and potential of the Celtics organization, and the opportunity to reunite with Stevens, his old college coach, were the biggest factors pulling him to Boston. Horford also told reporters last year that the young team’s “upside” makes it an attractive destination.
It also probably helps that the NBA free agency period occurs in the summer.
