Boston Celtics Target 9-Time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Boston Celtics are on the move again.

After shipping away Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, the Eastern Conference powerhouse is looking for replacements that can match their lost firepower, and they have set their eyes on superstar point guard Damian Lillard.

According to The Athletic and Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, the Celtics and Lillard showed mutual interest and are on the way to finalizing a contract this NBA off-season.

Lillard entered free agency after the Milwaukee Bucks decided to waive him and free up cap space for the arrival of Myles Turner, who is coming off an NBA championship stint with the Indiana Pacers.

To materialize the waive and stretch, Milwaukee will pay Lillard the $113 million left on his contract, that is $22.5 million annually over five years.

However, suppose the Celtics decide to acquire Lillard. In that case, they will have to wait at least a year as the floor general is still recovering from a torn Achilles injury he suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Pacers.

This is the same injury that Jayson Tatum suffered in the semifinal series against the New York Knicks, leaving Boston with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard as the only healthy players in the main rotation of head coach Joe Mazzulla.

Despite the roller coaster ride with the Bucks in the past two playoff runs, Lillard still proved that he is one of the most lethal offensive players in the NBA, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 58 regular-season games played.

His postseason campaign was derailed by the Achilles injury, a huge blow to the Bucks who again failed to get past the first round in the Eastern Conference.

According to multiple reports, Milwaukee’s decision to waive and stretch Lillard frustrated Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is eager to win his second NBA title with the same franchise that drafted him.