The Celtics reportedly had interest in signing Damian Lillard after his surprise release from the Milwaukee Bucks. Instead, Lillard elected for a homecoming.
ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday reported the nine-time All-Star point guard was rejoining the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year, $42 million contract. Lillard spent his first 11 NBA seasons in Portland before playing the last two in Milwaukee.
The $14 million average annual salary likely was far more than the Celtics — whose precarious luxury tax situation as a second-apron team forced them to jettison key players this offseason — would have been willing to pay Lillard. The 35-year-old is one of the league’s premier offensive players and most prolific 3-point shooters, but he tore his Achilles in late April and is expected to miss most or all of the 2025-26 season.
Lillard “had multiple mid-level exception and minimum offers from NBA contenders,” per Charania’s report. The taxpayer MLE, which the Celtics can use if they trim a small amount of salary to drop back below the second apron, is worth $5.7 million.
The Bucks still owe Lillard the $112.6 million remaining on his previous deal, which they stretched over the next five seasons for salary cap purposes.
In Portland, Lillard will team up with former Celtics guard Jrue Holiday two years after they were traded for each other during the 2023 offseason. The Trail Blazers subsequently flipped Holiday to Boston, and the standout defender helped the C’s win the 2024 NBA championship.
Boston traded Holiday to the Blazers last month in a cost-cutting move, receiving offensive-focused guard Anfernee Simons in return. The Celtics also shipped Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta; lost Luke Kornet in free agency; are expected to lose Al Horford, as well; and will be without Jayson Tatum for at least a large portion of next season as he recovers from his own Achilles surgery, leaving them with a roster that is significantly weaker than the one they fielded for the past two seasons.
Signing Lillard would not have made Boston a more competitive team this season, but it could have helped accelerate their return to contention in 2026-27, though players his age typically decline sharply after major Achilles injuries. Tatum was on board with that team-up and made a push to recruit Lillard — his former teammate on Team USA — according to a report from The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.
Before suffering his injury in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, Lillard also missed time after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his calf. He averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game in 58 appearances. It was the 10th consecutive season in which he averaged at least 24 points, and his sixth straight campaign averaging at least seven assists.
With newcomer Simons on an expiring contract, the Celtics currently have just two guards signed beyond this season: starter Derrick White and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard. JD Davison, the 2024-25 G League MVP, is on a non-guaranteed deal for this season, and second-round rookie Max Shulga is on a two-way contract.
Simons, who played five seasons alongside Lillard during the latter’s first Portland stint, is the most accomplished player the Celtics have added this offseason. The 26-year-old was a full-time starter for the last three seasons, averaging 20.7 points and 4.7 assists per game during that span. Like his former teammate, he’s a standout 3-point shooter; Lillard is one of just seven players who attempted more threes per game than Simons did over the last three seasons.
Boston’s other additions are career backups: journeyman forward Georges Niang and ex-Minnesota Timberwolves reserves Luka Garza and Josh Minott. The Celtics also drafted 19-year-old wing Hugo Gonzalez in the first round and center Amari Williams and Shulga in the second.
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