Free agency has been unkind to the Boston Celtics so far. They’ve already lost Luke Kornet to the San Antonio Spurs, and Al Horford’s pending move to the Golden State Warriors sounds like it’s all but official.
Over this past weekend, the Celtics got their first glimpse of light in what’s been a pretty dark month, with new rumblings of Damian Lillard’s potential interest in joining the team. Lillard, a 35-year-old with a storied career, was bought out of his $112.6 million contract by the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month.
The Cs have consistently been one of the most frequently mentioned landing spots for the nine-time All-Star over the past two weeks. During that span, Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been trying to make that speculation into a reality, according to Gary Washburn of “The Boston Globe.”
“According to NBA sources, Tatum has been active in recruiting Lillard to Boston, and the market for the point guard is limited because his injury will prevent him from likely playing most of next season, Washburn wrote Saturday. “Lillard sustained his injury on April 27, 15 days prior to Tatum’s injury.”
The Damian Lillard rumors point to something even greater for the Celtics
Adding Lillard wouldn’t immediately help the Celtics, of course. As mentioned by Washburn, the veteran point guard sustained the same ruptured Achilles as Tatum, just a few weeks earlier. The idea of bringing him in would likely be driven by the possibility of making a run at the 2027 NBA Championship. Any contract Lillard signs would have to be team-friendly, considering the set of circumstances on both sides.
From Boston’s perspective, signing him only makes sense if it allows them to be flexible when building the rest of their roster. In the case that Lillard demands a larger pay day, the Celtics would be hard-pressed to offer that without putting themselves at risk of being a second-apron team once again.
At the same time, Lillard doesn’t have much leverage for negotiation. As a smaller guard, the outlook as he ages was never favorable, never mind the fact that he’s coming off such a significant injury. You’d have to imagine that the top priority for him in his next contract is to go to a situation best suited to contend for a title.
If the former All-NBA guard were to join the Celtics, it could be the perfect situation for him as he regains his footing post-injury. He’d be playing alongside Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and a strong supporting cast. His offensive responsibility would be far lighter than it’s been throughout his entire 13-year career, which could easily help him to be even more efficient on that end.
Lillard, a career 37% three-point shooter, makes a lot of sense in Boston’s three-point-heavy offense under Joe Mazzulla.
Even if this smoke doesn’t lead to Lillard jerseys being sold at the TD Garden pro shop, the fact that there’s real buzz about it is a good thing for Celtics fans to take with them into next season.
If the team is really making an effort to bring in a player who won’t be ready to go until the following year, it has to mean that they’re ramping up for something big.
Seeing so many pieces of the 2024 NBA Championship team moving on has been tough, but knowing that Brad Stevens and the front office are actively looking to bounce back when Tatum is healthy is a green flag with Bill Chisholm’s ownership group taking over.