You have to go back to 1994 to find the last time the Boston Celtics landed a high-profile free agent when they signed Dominique Wilkins. Though at the time he was entering his 13th NBA season and on the back nine of his career, Wilkins was an eight-time all star and still one of the better scorers in the game. He only lasted one season in Boston.

It’s been all downhill for the Celtics since. Try as they might, the Celtics have been unable to attract superstar free agents, failing to even get a face to face meeting with some. Despite a rich tradition that includes a league-best 17 championship banners, the city of Boston is not as attractive a destination as cities like Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, etc.

However, that long standing narrative could finally be changing thanks to Brad Stevens. Though he’s only entering his third season as head coach, and he has yet to finish one with a winning record, Stevens is catching the attention of his fellow coaches and players.

The mighty Gregg Popovich has admitted that Stevens is one of his favorite targets when it comes to poaching different strategies and plays.

Jared Dudley of the Washington Wizards is the latest to throw some compliments Stevens’ way. During a recent appearance on The Lowe Post, Dudley put Stevens in his top two or three of coaches he’d want to play for. He also alluded to a potential “buzz” amongst players around the league regarding Stevens. Despite being a young coach, Dudley said players recognize that Stevens coaches like a veteran and that he “just gets it.”

Now, nobody knows who these players are that Dudley is referring to. In the conversation, the only player he names as a Stevens supporter is former teammate and former Celtic Jerryd Bayless. While Dudley and Bayless aren’t considered high-profile players, LeBron James is. James made it a point to acknowledge how well-coached the Celtics were after his Cleveland Cavaliers completed a four game sweep of Boston in the playoffs.

While James is an unlikely candidate to become a member of the Celtics, his comments will resonate league-wide. As Stevens and the Celtics continue to improve, more and more players will take notice. The “buzz” surrounding Stevens will only get larger and hopefully both he, and the Celtics will shoot up the list of coaches and teams players want to play for.

Can somebody make sure Kevin Durant sees this?

Derek McVay is a Boston Celtics and NBA featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @mcvay34, or add him to your network on Google.