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Damian Lillard might not step on the court next season, but Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn is convinced the Celtics should make a move for the nine-time All-Star.
“It’s cheap. $5.6 million mid-level, two years, because he’s already getting paid by the Bucks. So money is not an issue,” Washburn said on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition. “You sit him for this year. You let him rehab his Achilles, whether it’s part-time to go to Portland and back to Boston, kind of let him do it because he wants to be close to his family. He bonds with Jayson Tatum in the rehab, he gets himself healthy, and then in 2026-27, now you compete.”
“You have two All-NBA players coming back along with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and then whoever’s center. Two All-NBA players, three All-Stars, and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in you’re starting five, and you come back to try to win another title in ’26-’27. You can’t take two or three years off. You can’t bank that guys are gonna be ready in ’29 or ’30. You gotta win now. You take next year off, let him rest, then bring him back with Tatum, and you’ve got a chance to win a ‘chip.”
34 years old Lillard was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week, leaving the Celtics, Lakers, and Warriors among the teams reportedly interested, according to The Athletic.
READ MORE: Celtics & Lakers Linked to Damian Lillard Despite Injury
