Damian Lillard Interested in Signing With Boston Celtics to Play With Jayson Tatum

According to NBA insider Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, Damian Lillard is interested in signing with the Boston Celtics to play with Jayson Tatum.

Lillard and Tatum built a close relationship in 2020 on Team USA.

Lillard is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career after getting waived and stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks. He will miss a chunk of next season recovering from his left Achilles tear.

Meanwhile, Tatum will also miss a lot of next season recovering from his right Achilles tendon tear.

Lillard was slated to make $113 million over the next two seasons with the Bucks. That amount will be stretched over the next five seasons.

The Celtics, who traded Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, need a point guard.

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 Trail Blazers and has career averages of 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists.

Lillard, who is fourth in NBA history in 3-point field goals, 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. 

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. 

To save money, Boston traded Holiday to Portland and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.

Latest NBA News & Rumors