Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is recruiting Damian Lillard to join the franchise as an unrestricted free agent, according to The Boston Globe. Released earlier this summer by the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard is reportedly open to signing this summer and the Celtics are one of three teams at the top of his potential list of suitors.
Like Tatum, Lillard suffered a serious Achilles injury during the playoffs and is not expected to play during the 2025-26 season. The Bucks unexpectedly waived Lillard and stretched the final two years of his deal in order to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner in free agency.
Lillard, a nine-time All-Star, could choose to sit out the upcoming season without a team on his terms before reassessing his options. For Tatum, successfully bringing Lillard to the Celtics would mean Boston’s roster in 2026 would include three of the league’s top scorers with Jaylen Brown expected back on a long-term deal.
Lillard turns 35 this month, meaning he’ll be considered an aging veteran by the time he plays in another NBA game. He averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists for the Bucks this season and it’s unlikely he’ll want to come off the bench in the final stages of his career upon his next stop.
NBA free agency rumors: Steph Curry hints at Warriors potentially signing Al Horford
Bryan DeArdo
Boston has already traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis for salary cap reasons with Tatum on the mend and could offer Lillard either the veteran’s minimum or a mid-level exception to sign him. The Celtics are already exploring options with recent acquisition Anfernee Simons in another cost-cutting move if they’re able to shed an expiring deal worth $27.7 million.
Boston is not using the term “rebuild,” according to president of operations Brad Stevens, but this offseason has already revealed a retooling of sorts. It would have to make sense financially for Tatum to get his wish and the Celtics sign Lillard.
Earlier this month, Kevin Durant — who was recently traded to the Houston Rockets — says he reached out to both players after overcoming his own Achilles injury previously in his career.
“Those guys are cut from a cloth that they’re rare individuals,” Durant said on the “Mind the Game” podcast. “This is just a little stoppage in their journey that they’re just going to have to sit down and lock in on. I think it’ll be easy for them to lock in once they truly grasp that ‘I’m gonna be out for a year.’ Initially that takes a few weeks for you to truly understand. This is probably the first time in their whole lives they gotta sit down and not play. They physically can’t play. That’s probably the first time they’ve had to go through that.”
