Celtics Named Favorite to Land All-Star Guard in Blockbuster Free Agent Signing

Feb 2, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives past Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) during the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics have had an eventful summer, to say the least.

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Boston was and could still be in the midst of massive turnover. We have already seen three of their key players from last season head to new teams, and there is a chance that more changes could be on the horizon.

Even so, the Celtics are still looking to bolster their roster. One name that has surfaced over the past week is nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard.

Lillard recently hit the free agent market after being unexpectedly waived by the Milwaukee Bucks. With that move, Boston has quickly emerged as a frontrunner to land the former lottery pick and proven veteran scorer.

According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, the Celtics are the favorites to land Lillard.

REPORT: The Celtics are the current favorites to land Damian Lillard, per @BrettSiegelNBA pic.twitter.com/0QYSTTlVfW

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 16, 2025

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The move was made to create room for Myles Turner, and they made the difficult decision to waive Lillard. Lillard will now be a free agent for the first time in his career, and while he's not in an ideal position, he's still garnering a ton of attention in the free agency market. 

Although potentially adding Lillard to the team would be massive, the Celtics would have to wait a season. Lillard, similar to Jayson Tatum, is coming off a torn Achilles that he suffered in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers.

Looking ahead to the following season, 2026-27, Boston could see the return of a healthy Lillard and Tatum. While the wait for both stars to get back on the floor won’t be ideal, their eventual reunion with Jaylen Brown could position the Celtics for a serious run.

Even at this stage in his career, Lillard showed he still has plenty left in the tank. In 58 appearances last season, he posted 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from deep.

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