The Boston Celtics have already had a crazy offseason after being eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Brooklyn Nets. Danny Ainge has retired and Brad Stevens left his role as the team’s head coach to become the new President of Basketball Operations. Many believe that the Celtics could be in store for a busy offseason, but could Damian Lillard end up being a potential trade target?
One NBA executive spoke to NBA Analysis Network about the potential trade market for Lillard. He mentioned the Celtics as a “team to watch” in trade discussions when the offseason gets underway.
“You’re going to hear a lot about Miami, New York, and both Los Angeles teams, but there is another team to watch. Boston is going to be active this offseason. They may not blow the roster up, but they would like to improve and move on from Kemba Walker. I know they’ll be involved and see if they can work something out to get (Damian) Lillard).”
Lillard has been mentioned in a ton of trade rumors over the past couple of days. After being eliminated in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, Lillard made some cryptic social media comments that made fans and the media question his loyalty to the Trail Blazers.
Should he actually hit the trade market, the Celtics absolutely make sense. They would likely prefer to work out a deal centered around Walker, young players, and draft picks, but that may not be enough. Portland might counter with a deal centered around Jaylen Brown, which would force Boston to seriously consider their options.
During the 2020-21 NBA season with the Trail Blazers, Lillard put together another massive year. He averaged 28.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game. In addition to those averages, he shot 45.1 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 39.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
It will be very interesting to see what the Celtics end up doing this offseason. The current core of players simply has not gotten the job done over the last few years, although Brown missed the playoffs this year due to injury. Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard would be a scary duo if Brown ended up being involved in a trade with Portland.
Expect to hear a ton of rumors continue coming out in the next few weeks about Lillard and his future with the Trail Blazers. If he is at all available, the Celtics will be involved in those discussions with Stevens looking to make his first major splash.
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