The NBA offseason has already been full of major moves, but the Celtics reported interest in Damian Lillard has added an unexpected twist.
The Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers are “known to be among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal (with Lillard) sooner rather than later,” per The Athletic.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated on Celtics’ reported interest:
“I think the mechanics of a deal will be the most important thing,” Mannix said on The Off C’season. “Dame is done for the 2025-26 season. He got injured in the first round of the playoffs. He’s not coming back until the same year Tatum is coming back. But I thought he was an interesting player for Boston when Portland was dangling him a couple of years ago. I still think he’s an interesting player now because he is a proven postseason scorer. He is a clutch shooter. And if he’s available on the cheap, which I believe he will be to whatever team signs him to his next deal, absolutely, I think they should consider pursuing him.”
“And look, he’s not gonna be as pricey as he once was because he’s going to get the full $100+ million from Milwaukee after they waived and stretched him. So yeah, I think the Celtics are among the teams that are going to show an interest in Damian Lillard, but I do expect it to be a strong market for Damian Lillard.”
Even so, Lillard could wait until he has finished rehabbing his Achilles injury before picking his next team, Mannix says.
“When I’ve talked to people around Lillard, I think he wants to rehab in Portland, or do a lot of it in Portland,” Mannix explained. “He spent the last couple of years away from his family, away from his kids, living in Milwaukee. I think he’d like to spend the bulk of next year around them, and I wouldn’t expect him to be looking for a deal right now.”
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