Getty Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Recently, the Boston Celtics have been a rumored landing spot for Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, should he decide to request a trade.
However, it would appear that Jayson Tatum doesn’t believe Lillard is interested in joining the Celtics. During a June 8 Instagram Live, Tatum entered the comments section to tell Lillard to just admit that he doesn’t like Boston.
“Damn we get it you don’t like Boston,” Tatum commented.
Currently, there is a lot of discourse surrounding Lillard’s future with the Portland Trail Blazers, with most NBA fans believing that it’s only a matter of time before the All-Star guard moves to a new team. However, throughout his career, Lillard has remained steadfast in his belief that he would prefer to win a championship in Portland rather than move to a new franchise in search of success.
Damian Lillard Prefers the Miami Heat
Tatum’s comments toward Lillard come hot on the heels of the superstar guard admitting that he would prefer to join the Miami Heat should he ever leave the Trail Blazers.
During a recent appearance on “The Last Stand” with Brian Custer, Lillard noted how Miami is the ‘obvious’ choice due to his relationship with Bam Adebayo, while the Brooklyn Nets could also be a realistic landing spot for him.
Damian Lillard says Miami is ‘obviously’ his first choice over Boston, New York and Brooklyn in a hypothetical trade
“Bam is my dawg”
(Via @Showtime )
“Miami, obviously,” Lillard said. “Miami is the obvious one, and Bam [Adebayo] is my dog. Bam is my dog, for real…Brooklyn is another obvious one because Mikal Bridges is my dog too. Both have capable rosters.”
Stephen A Smith States Celtics Should Acquire Lillard
During a May 30 appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, Stephen A Smith shared his belief that Boston should look to acquire Damian Lillard, using Jaylen Brown as a potential makeweight in a deal.
.@stephenasmith says the Celtics should look to acquire Damian Lillard 👀
“There’s a guy by the name of Damian Lillard in Portland; I wouldn’t mind getting someone like him who’s a closer, by the way, who’s a point guard as a closer, who’s a sniper,” Smith said. “We got all of that stuff going for ourselves if you’re Damian Lillard. Obviously, he’s older than Jaylen Brown, but [for] Jaylen Brown, I think the real challenge is that he has aspirations to be that number one guy, and that is never going to happen with Jayson Tatum.”
The Celtics failed to return to the NBA Finals this season, losing to the Heat in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, all eyes will be on how Brad Stevens approaches the offseason, and most notably, whether he offers Brown a supermax contract extension or looks to utilize his All-NBA wing as a part of a bigger trade.
Boston will also have a decision to make regarding Grant Williams‘ impending restricted free agency and how to improve their current rotation – either via breaking up their core or by adding around the fringes. As such, it’s fair to assume that this offseason will be an active one for the Celtics’ front office.