The Boston Celtics have had a tough offseason. Following the torn Achilles suffered by Jayson Tatum, it was clear that the team would not be an elite contender in the Eastern Conference during the 2024-25 NBA season.
Unfortunately, the team was also in trouble when it comes to the luxury tax. It was widely expected that the Celtics would look to trade a couple of their key pieces. That is exactly what happened.
Brad Stevens ended up trading veteran star point guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. He then backed that move up by trading star center Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.
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Not only did Boston trade two of its key players, it is also expected that veteran center Al Horford will not return in free agency. He hasn’t signed elsewhere yet, but with the Celtics not expected to be a contender this season, he’s likely to move on.
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Amid all of the departures, rumors had been swirling over the last few weeks about Boston potentially being a contender to sign Damian Lillard.
Lillard is close friends with Tatum. Both players are working to return from a torn Achilles injury. On a two or three-year deal, signing Lillard would have made a lot of sense for the Celtics.
While the interest was real, Lillard has decided to sign elsewhere.
According to a report from ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Lillard has agreed to a three-year deal worth $42 million to return to the Portland Trail Blazers. In the deal will be a player option on the third year.
Charania also revealed more details about how much Lillard will actually make, considering he will continue being paid by the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Lillard now will have a 2025-26 set salary of $70M between his Portland and Milwaukee deals, and a salary of $141M over the next two years ahead of an opt-out in 2027,” Charania wrote. “Blazers officials and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management are finalizing terms this week.”
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Seeing Lillard return to the Trail Blazers is an amazing story. He dominated the NBA in Portland for many years. However, it’s also a major disappointment for Boston.
It will be interesting to monitor Lillard as he tries to return to the court during the 2025-26 season. Whether or not he’s able to do so, he’s locked in for the 2026-27 campaign as well with the Trail Blazers.
For more on the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
