Celtics and big-name free agent reportedly have mutual interest
Brad Stevens has a potential high-value free-agent option on the table, according to a new report.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 15: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on March 15, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesThe Boston Celtics and Damian Lillard. A potential match?
Despite Boston's underwhelming start to free agency, and clear intentions to shed enough payroll to get under the luxury tax aprons -- or possibly even under the luxury tax altogether -- that doesn't mean Brad Stevens is against adding talent. But the C's president of basketball ops apparently needs to get creative in order to bring in a higher-impact player than the ones he's brought in so far.
That's where Lillard comes in. The Milwaukee Bucks recently used the rare "stretch provision" to waive Lillard, and will pay him his remaining contract (more than $112 million) over the next five seasons instead of the next two. This gave them more than $30 million in cap relief, which they used to sign former Pacers big man Myles Turner. Lillard will become a free agent and reportedly has multiple suitors -- including the Celtics, according to multiple reports.
And, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the interest may be mutual. "Lillard would consider signing with the Celtics, and the Celtics are indeed interested," Himmelsbach wrote Wednesday.

Damian Lillard
The Celtics have a midlevel exception worth $5.6 million that they could pay Lillard. He will provide that kind of value to any team that doesn't have to pay him handsomely because the Bucks are taking care of that for them. For Stevens, who certainly appears to be under a mandate to save as much money as possible, this kind of move is the ideal balance of talent and cost-effectiveness.
There's an obvious drawback, which is that like Jayson Tatum, Lillard is also recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and will miss most if not the entire 2025-26 season. But if and when he gets back on the court, he'd be the most dynamic scorer the Celtics have had at the point guard position in this era. Even as he enters his mid-30s coming off a major injury, one would think that Lillard can still approach his career average of 25.1 points per game, and even a percentage of that would be big value for a midlevel exception.
Stay tuned. The Lillard sweepstakes should heat up after teams reconvene following Fourth of July weekend, when deals across the league all become official.