The NBA free agency rumors still revolve around Kevin Durant and the Eastern Conference does not seem to offer better alternatives for him.
At the start of the season, the Washington Wizards were the non-Thunder favorites to land Durant but that drastically changed as the season wore on. Now, not even the hometown factor can sway him to look East.
Even the hiring of Scott Brooks is not seen as a game-changer and both Brooks and the Wizards have made their respective disconnection from Durant.
In terms of Durant speculation, The Vertical has been consistent that Durant wants nothing else but to win. Adrian Wojnarowski has mentioned the Golden State Warriors as the frontrunner. The latest piece from Chris Mannix at Yahoo Sports reiterates that.
"Durant will be 28 in September, and the former MVP isn't interested in hearing what a team could someday become," Mannix said. "He wants to win now, which is why Golden State and San Antonio expect to be appealing, why Oklahoma City is still very much in play."
There is also an angle that Durant may be weary from the intense competition in the West and envy LeBron James who seems to have a cakewalk (compared to the West) to the Finals. If it's not Washington, one of the possible destinations is the Boston Celtics.
They have a good young coach and a tight organization. They have young players at every position and a ton of assets. Would that be enough to lure the former MVP? Mannix doesn't so.
"Boston needs a deal for Jimmy Butler, a commitment from Al Horford, a carrot to dangle in front of Durant to persuade him that relocating east is the smart play," Mannix said.
In the ESPN Insider roundtable, the Celtics, the point was reiterated by Tom Haberstroh
"I still don't see it(big free agents signing with the Celtics). Boston is cold, and a star hasn't signed as a free agent in Beantown in a long, long time," Haberstroh opines. "Stevens helps matters and Thomas is an All-Star, but it's hard to see someone like Kevin Durant or Al Horford leaving his situation to head up north without a clear championship core."
Ainge has accumulated assets because he understands the free agency is challenging for them. He has accumulated assets for a trade and that could change his free agency efforts.