Damian Lillard, Celtics Have Mutual Interest

Damian Lillard and the Boston Celtics have mutual interest, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. 

Lillard is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career after getting waived and stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks. 

A future Hall of Famer, Lillard was slated to make $113 million over the next two seasons. That amount will be stretched over the next five seasons.

Lillard is expected to miss a chunk of next season recovering from his torn left Achilles tendon. The veteran played in 58 games for the Bucks last season. He averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field, 37.6% from beyond the arc and 92.1% from the free-throw line. 

A top 75 player of all time, Lillard has made nine All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams. He won the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year Award with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Lillard has career averages of 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists with the Trail Blazers and Bucks. He’s fourth in NBA history in 3-point field goals. 

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon. Boston traded Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks to save money. 

The Celtics won the 2024 championship against the Dallas Mavericks but lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2025 playoffs.