All-Star Free Agent Guard Has Interest in Joining Celtics: Report

The Boston Celtics have undergone changes this offseason like no other. Although they still have their two best players on their side, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they have lost a ton of their key pieces. 

Of the notable players they've lost thus far via free agency or trade, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet stand out. Although Boston has made moves to offset its recent losses, those additions don’t appear to have moved the needle enough — at least not yet.

Nonetheless, the Celtics will continue to do their part in building the best team they can for the 2025-26 season. It will be a huge hill to climb, but it appears that they have an answer to that.

According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, the Celtics and nine-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard have mutual interest. 

Lillard was recently waived, but the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The move was made to create room for Myles Turner, and they made the difficult decision to waive Lillard. Lillard will now be a free agent for the first time in his career, and while he's not in an ideal position, he's still garnering a ton of attention in the free agency market. 

The 35-year-old is coming off a torn Achilles, which he suffered in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. 

Lillard is expected to miss most —if not all — of the 2025-26 campaign, no matter where he ends up signing this offseason. 

While he wouldn’t provide an immediate boost for the Celtics if he were to land in Boston, the long-term outlook is where the intrigue lies. By the following season, the team could welcome back a healthy Lillard alongside Tatum, who’s also on the mend from a torn Achilles — setting the stage for a potential powerhouse return.

Although Lillard is an older player, his production on the court this past season was promising. In 58 games, he averaged 24.9 points per game, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three. 

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