76ers Rival Watch: Do Celtics Have a Shot at Damian Lillard?

Back in August, it was revealed that Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum reached out to the disgruntled Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard in an attempt to recruit him.

At the time, Lillard’s focus on joining the Miami Heat was well known, and Tatum’s recruiting attempt was far from successful.

Still, the Celtics somehow ended up with decent odds to land Lillard, according to BetOnline. In a prop bet for Lillard’s next location, if he’s not going to suit up for the Blazers or the Heat, the Celtics were initially viewed as the favorites in that scenario.

But with the Toronto Raptors making it clear that they are genuine players in the Damian Lillard market, the Raptors shot up from the third spot to the first. Meanwhile, the Celtics saw a dip from having 2/1 odds at the top to sliding past the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets at +600.

At this point, it’s clear that if and when Lillard gets traded, he’ll be moved to a direct rival of the 76ers. The fact that two of the three teams he’s often linked to were the two representatives in the most recent Eastern Conference Finals surely makes the situation a threat to Philadelphia’s championship hopes and dreams.

Do the Celtics Have a Legitimate Shot?

Taking a look at some Boston-based perspectives regarding the Lillard saga, I’d be confident in saying that the Sixers probably don’t have much to worry about regarding the Celtics in this case.

Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston noted that Lillard in the East definitely affects the conference as a whole but noted that the chances of Lillard landing in Boston seem far-fetched.

“Dame-to-Boston seems very, very unlikely considering the C's are already over the luxury tax and can't trade arguably their top asset, Jaylen Brown, until next summer at the earliest,” Hartwell wrote.

Luke Scotchie of Boston.com took a slightly different approach to the subject. Writing that it would surely be difficult to outbid the others, including the Heat and the Raptors, the Boston writer mentioned that landing on the Celtics does not “appear to be impossible” for Lillard.

Who Remains a Threat to Land Lillard?

The rumor mill will say Lillard is likely to land in Miami or Toronto at this point in the season. If the Blazers’ seven-time All-Star heads to the latter organization, the Sixers shouldn’t feel like that will have much of an effect on them.

The Raptors have talent, but they haven’t proven to be a legitimate title contender since they won the NBA Finals in 2019. Putting a still potentially disgruntled Lillard on a team that missed the playoffs just last season won’t move the needle for Toronto in the eyes of the opponents.

However, if Miami gets back in the mix — or if the Celtics somehow get creative enough to make a trade possible — that’s two situations that could pose a threat to Philadelphia. With the Blazers hoping to move on from Lillard sooner than later, we could have a conclusion sometime in the near future.

Do the Celtics Have a Legitimate Shot?

Who Remains a Threat to Land Lillard?

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