Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant met with the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

(Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP)

By landing Al Horford on a maximum contract Saturday, the Boston Celtics removed all doubt they can land top free agents. The big man isn't the type of player who will shift the NBA landscape all by himself, but batted away the narrative (which always felt misguided) that the Celtics can't recruit top talent. Horford has reached four All-Star games. He was the top center on the market. He will push Boston closer to the top of the Eastern Conference, could help the team's future pitch for free agents -- and, better yet, the Celtics still have space to chase their top target, Kevin Durant.

With Tom Brady in tow, the Celtics sat down with the former MVP Saturday in the Hamptons. According to USA Today's Sam Amick, the Celtics remain dark horses but made "all the right kind of noise in their biggest free agency moment." Even if the Celtics delivered a great pitch, it might not ultimately mean much; Durant has always seemed likely to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder for at least one more season, and anyway, ask the Los Angeles Clippers where a strong presentation can bring you. Still, the Celtics signed an impact big man (who should be a major two-way upgrade in their frontcourt) and are in contention to acquire one of the five best basketball players alive. Even if the Durant dream never becomes reality (in all likelihood, it won't), the past few days have shown Boston's situation appeals to some elite talents. After years of chatter about draft picks and assets, the plan to contend one day now feels a bit more real.

In related news, Durant's decision could come soon. Some notes from the Celtics' all-important meeting follow below:

1. Naturally, Brady was a boss in the meeting, reportedly telling Durant what it's like for a legend in Boston.

2. Also a boss: David Ortiz.

3. For whatever it's worth, Amick wrote that the meeting "clearly overshadowed the San Antonio Spurs visit that preceded it." (Note: It needed to because the Spurs have Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge in addition to their cast of aging Hall of Famers -- plus one of the few coaches with a better reputation than Brad Stevens.) Amick added the Celtics "put themselves in about as good a position as possible to steal Durant," which sounds exciting. Boston still doesn't have a current roster to compete with the Spurs or Golden State Warriors, though, so Durant would need to trust Danny Ainge to acquire more star power.

4. Yes, Ainge wore his Kevin Durant shoes to the meeting. Kelly Olynyk rocked a tie-dye shirt, which cracked me up, and appeared very happy (like Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas) to meet with Brady.

5. Speaking of Brady, the New York Daily News indicated Durant actually flew to Boston on Friday night (one day prior to the meeting) before returning to the Hamptons on a plane with the New England Patriots legend. That would be interesting for several reasons (for example: what did Durant do in Boston?). If true, it suggests Durant actually spent time with Brady on his way to a meeting with the Spurs. They sat down with the superstar scorer Saturday before the Celtics did.

6. The Horford signing could potentially have an impact on Durant's decision, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard, but won't be the "overriding factor." For months, there has been talk Durant would like to play with Horford -- which makes sense because they're both much better at the whole basketball thing than most other people. Still, Durant probably has a long list of guys he'd like to have as teammates, and that list probably includes Steven Adams and Russell Westbrook, who both play for the Thunder.

Landing Horford certainly helps the Celtics pitch, but they still need to convince Durant to leave a great situation for the promise of something that could be more sustainable long term. Whatever he decides, the longstanding narrative is gone forever. The Celtics can attract top free agents. We know that with certainty because they just did.

For more chatter about the Horford signing, listen to the latest episode of the Locked on Celtics podcast with the Rainin' Js featuring me and John Karalis, which can be found below.