The Boston Celtics have gone through a rough offseason thus far. Due to their tax situation, Brad Stevens had to trade away two of the team’s key pieces.
Both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have been sent packing. Jayson Tatum is also expected to miss at least most of the 2025-26 NBA season due to a torn Achilles. He may not play at all this coming year.
While the Celtics have made a couple of small additions, the future is still a bit murky. They have been one of the teams with reported interest in star free agent point guard Damian Lillard, who is also working his way back from a torn Achilles.
Lillard was waived and stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks in a shocking move to create cap space for the team to sign Myles Turner. Since that move was made, he has been connected as a potential target for quite a few contenders.
NBA Fans Buzzing About Luka Doncic’s Physical Appearance
Boston making a push to sign Lillard is not shocking. He’s very close friends with Jayson Tatum, which could give the Celtics a leg up on the competition.
To that end, a new update has been revealed about Boston’s rumored pursuit of Lillard.
According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Tatum has been actively recruiting Lillard to the Celtics.
Landing with Boston is one of the few destinations that makes perfect sense for Lillard. With Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles, the Celtics would likely be signing him to a two-year deal with no rush to return to the court in year one.
More than likely, Boston would be targeting getting both Lillard and Tatum healthy at the same time. Their run together would truly begin in the 2026-27 NBA season, even if Lillard and Tatum are able to return at some point during the 2025-26 campaign.
Report: Warriors Have Bold Plan for Jonathan Kuminga’s Future
Should the Celtics be able to land Lillard, they would be getting a proven superstar.
During the 2024-25 season with the Bucks, Lillard played in 58 games and averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. In addition, he shot 44.8 percent from the floor and connected on 37.6 percent of his three-point attempts.
Even though Boston is far from guaranteed to sign Lillard, Tatum’s help should give the team a fighting chance. It will be interesting to see if the Celtics are able to bring Lillard onboard and set themselves up to be a championship contender once again in two years.
For more on the Boston Celtics and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Read the full article here
