The Damian Lillard trade sweepstakes have begun after the Blazers guard demanded a trade Saturday just as NBA freee agency kicked off. While the Celtics have had a quiet start to NBA free agency with only the agreeing to a deal with Oshae Brissett thus far, the team appears to be considering making a move for the Blazers All-Star.
According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the Celtics were one of several teams that inquired with the Blazers about Lillard’s price after he demanded out.
“It did cause teams to pause, hold on, let’s wait on what he had planned and let’s look to see if we had a shot,” Haynes said on his This League Uncut Podcast. “The Clippers, the Timberwolves, Pelicans, Boston Celtics, those are the team off the top of my head, I’m pretty sure there were more, those were the teams that I know called out to reach out to see what it would take (to land Lillard).”
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It’s been widely reported that Miami is the top destination preference for Lillard but the trade assets they can offer Portland is limited while keeping their core intact.
Blazers GM Joe Cronin has also made it clear the team will be looking for the best deal for Lillard rather than sending him to his preferred destination.
“We have been clear that we want Dame here but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else,” Cronin said in a statement Saturday. “What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
Lillard is making $45.6 million during the 2023-24 season so the Celtics would need to send out just over $41 million in a deal for salary-matching purposes to make the money work. He is also still under contract for at least the next three seasons with a $63 million player option for 2026-27 campaign so there’s no flight risk in any deal for him at this point. It’s hard to envision Lillard making a fuss playing for any kind of contender even if it’s not his preferred destination of Miami or Brooklyn once he gets there.
Marc Spears of ESPN also spoke on NBA Today Saturday about hearing rumblings of Jayson Tatum campaigning Lillard on the idea of joining the Celtics.
MassLive broke down three possible trade proposals the Celtics could make for a Lillard deal earlier this week. Here’s a look at those deals along with some analysis.
Offer 1: Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, salary filler, three future first round picks and additional pick swaps/second round picks for Damian Lillard
Analysis: This is probably an offer that gets topped by any team willing to include a star-level young player and/or elite picks but the Blazers get a good contract here in Williams, could spin Brogdon for other assets and bank on some long-term draft capital from Boston. It’s a better offer than the Heat but unlikely to top other deals the Blazers see in negotiations. Still, its an offer worth making if other teams drop out of the mix.
Offer 2: Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, three future first round picks
Analysis: This might as well be a three-team deal since the Blazers backcourt is already stocked with young guys for the future even after Lillard’s exit. However, the Blazers may not be offered a better value contract in any deal than Derrick White at this point who the Celtics would surely hate to give up but that’s the price of a superstar at times. Again, it’s debatable if Brad Stevens would even be willing to make this offer but the structure of it works. The Blazers could then turn around and pile up at least 2-3 additional first round picks and/or younger players by dealing White and Brogdon.
Offer 3: Three-team trade involving Jaylen Brown going to a different destination.
Analysis: This hypothetical comes off the table the second that Brown signs an extension (since he can’t be traded for a year afterwards). Still, any trade involving Damian Lillard would mean the Celtics would be dealing at least one of Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis after next season for financial reasons. If the Celtics would rather keep their supporting cast intact, they could theoretically use any assets acquired in a Brown trade to a third team and repackage those to the Blazers (along with about $10 million in additional salary).
