After shocking news of him being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics have been linked to All-Star guard Damian Lillard.
Since free agency got underway, the Boston Celtics have been rather quiet when it comes to making roster additions. However, that could quickly change after reports emerged of them being tied to one of the most interesting names on the market.
On Tuesday morning, the Milwaukee Bucks completed a pair of moves that left the basketball world stunned. First, they signed veteran big man Myles Turner to a four-year contract to replace the departing Brook Lopez. In a following move, they waived-and-stretched All-Star point guard Damian Lillard to create more cap space. This comes just two years after Milwaukee pulled off a blockbuster trade for him. Lillard is set to miss extended time in 2026 due to an Achilles injury he suffered in the postseason.
Though he's injured and going to be shelved for some time, Lillard is still expected to garner interest across the league. Recent developments from The Athletic have the Celtics as a possible landing spot for the nine-time All-Star. Other teams that have expressed interest include the LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Not surprisingly, league sources say Lillard received calls from several contending teams quickly after the news of his Bucks’ ending broke. League sources say the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are known to be among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal sooner rather than later.
Seeing that the Celtics are bracing for what could be a gap year anyway, targeting Lillard makes sense for them. If they can get him at a reasonable price, it could help Boston quickly get back in the hunt in the near future. Seeing that Jayson Tatum is recovering from a similar injury, the Celtics wouldn't need to rush Lillard back if they can get him in the building.
Before getting injured, Lillard was still one of the top point guards in the NBA. In 58 games for the Bucks last season, he averaged 24.9 PPG and 7.1 APG while shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc.
Though there's no telling what Lillard will look like after suffering an injury like this in his mid-30s, it's still a move worth considering for the Celtics. If he's able to return to any version of his old self, he'd add more star power and scoring around the duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Given their current situation, the reward certainly outweighs the risk for Boston.
Category: Basketball
