The Boston Celtics suddenly have a golden opportunity to add another superstar to their roster.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks shockingly waived superstar guard Damian Lillard and will pay the remainder of his contract over the next five years. The Celtics — along with the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors — are “known to be among the many teams” eyeing Lillard on the free-agent market, per The Athletic.
Lillard is 34 years old and likely to miss the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn Achilles in the NBA playoffs. Still, he’s an intriguing option for a Celtics team that’s seemingly punting on next season with its sights set on 2026-27.
During Thursday’s Early Edition, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe explained why he’s “all in” on the Celtics bringing in Lillard.
“It’s cheap. $5.6 million mid-level, two years, because he’s already getting paid by the Bucks. So money is not an issue,” Washburn said. ” You sit him for this year. You let him rehab his Achilles, whether it’s part-time to go to Portland and back to Boston, kind of let him do it because he wants to be close to his family. He bonds with (Jayson )Tatum in the rehab, he gets himself healthy, and then in 2026-27, now you compete.
“You have two All-NBA players coming back along with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and then whoever’s center. Two All-NBA players, three All-Stars, and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in you’re starting five, and you come back to try to win another title in ’26-’27. You can’t take two or three years off. You can’t bank that guys are gonna be ready in ’29 or ’30. You gotta win now. You take next year off, let him rest, then bring him back with Tatum, and you’ve got a chance to win a ‘chip.”
Lillard and Jayson Tatum are longtime friends, which could increase Boston’s odds of signing the nine-time All-Star. If the Celtics land Lillard, the superstar tandem could spend the 2025-26 season rehabbing their Achilles injuries and return to lead a championship contender in 2026-27.
Of course, signing Lillard comes with obvious risk, even if it’s on an affordable contract. He’ll be 36 years old at the start of the 2026-27 season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll return to All-Star form after an Achilles surgery and a scary blood clot issue. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens must weigh the risk and potential reward as his team enters unfamiliar territory as an Eastern Conference underdog.
Next season, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are expected to co-star on a Celtics squad that parted ways with Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade) and Luke Kornet (free agency) this offseason. Veteran big man Al Horford could be next to leave via free agency, leaving Boston with a thin frontcourt.
More moves are coming for the C’s as they look to get back below the second apron of the luxury tax. They moved back above the threshold after signing center Luka Garza and forward Josh Minott as depth pieces.
