The Boston Celtics spent the last few weeks figuring out how to cut salary and balance their books. But that doesn’t mean president of basketball operations Brad Stevens won’t show at least some interest in star players if they become available.
That apparently seems to be the case as it relates to Damian Lillard, who reportedly will be bought out by the Milwaukee Bucks and free to sign elsewhere.
“Not surprisingly, league sources say Lillard received calls from several contending teams quickly after the news of his Bucks’ ending broke,” The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon wrote Wednesday morning. “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.”
The Bucks plan to waive Lillard so they can sign free-agent big man Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday. Lillard underwent surgery to repair his torn Achilles on May 2, meaning he likely will miss the majority, if not all, the 2024-25 campaign.
A nine-time NBA All-Star and seven-time All-NBA honoree, Lillard might not return until his age-36 season. It’s unknown how he will recover, and if he will be the same player he was prior to the injury — he averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game during 58 games in 2024-25.
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If Stevens and company could entice Lillard to take a cost-effective deal with the Celtics, given he’ll be getting paid by the Bucks, it could give the future Hall of Famer a shot at chasing a championship.
