Apr 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) looks on in the first quarter during game four against the Indiana Pacers of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Lillard left the game early in the in the first quarter with an injury. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Celtics Interested in Damian Lillard After Shocking Bucks Exit

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI | By Ryan Stano | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 1:37 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks made the surprising decision to waive Damian Lillard on Tuesday. They did so in order to create enough cap space to sign Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers.

Doing that now allows Lillard to sign with whatever team he wants. He has been in discussions with multiple teams, including the Boston Celtics. Boston might be looking to bring him in.

Lillard likely won't play next season because he is recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered during the playoffs. If the Celtics were able to bring him in, they'd have two guys with torn Achilles on the roster.

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The Celtics are one of the teams that Lillard is having conversations with to see if there could be a potential marriage between the two.

The Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are known to be among the many teams interested in Damian Lillard, per @TheAthletic

“Not surprisingly, league sources say Lillard received calls from several contending teams quickly after the news of his Bucks’… pic.twitter.com/bkokY3QTMd
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 2, 2025

Of course, the Celtics have plenty of competition for Lillard. If they were to sign him, they would be doing so with an eye on the 2026-27 season. That's when they would be able to pair him with Tatum.

The Warriors and the Lakers are also pursuing him, so the Celtics have some big-time competition for him. All of these teams have an eye on two years from now instead of next season.

There is no guarantee how well Lillard will recover from this Achilles tear. He turns 35 in a couple of weeks, and these kinds of injuries typically are much tougher to recover from when a player is that old.

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There is a decent chance that this kind of injury is the beginning of the end of Lillard's career. The good news is that his game isn't predicated on speed, so any loss of speed won't affect him too much.

Still, there's a chance that he won't have the suddenness that he has that he uses to create space to get his shot off. That would be the worst-case scenario for Lillard if that were to happen.

This season with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. He shot 44.8 percent and 37.6 percent from three.

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This article first appeared on Boston Celtics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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