The Boston Celtics have knocked on the door of an NBA championship for years now.
They were so close to it that they could taste it two years ago, and they fell one win short of another trip to the NBA Finals this season.
It became crystal clear that they needed to shake things up to try and get over the hump, which is why Brad Stevens made the tough decision to trade Marcus Smart to get Kristaps Porzingis.
But the Celtics might not be done.
According to a report by Marc Spears (via NBACentral), star forward Jayson Tatum is actively trying to get Damian Lillard to join him in Boston.
Jayson Tatum is trying to figure out a way to get Damian Lillard to Boston, per @MarcJSpears pic.twitter.com/zPjLgf3zhN
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 6, 2023
For years, fans have debated whether the team should go ahead and break up their star duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the organization has been reluctant to go that way.
Nonetheless, landing Lillard without giving up Brown seems borderline impossible, and Tatum must be well aware of that.
Of course, we’re not implying that Tatum wants to get rid of Brown by any means, but there’s simply no realistic path for them to secure Lillard unless he’s part of the equation.
Even so, that could all be just wishful thinking, as Lillard has reportedly told the Portland Trail Blazers that he’s looking forward to being traded to the Miami Heat and the Miami Heat only.
The Celtics could have a better offer than the Heat, but there’s no point in trading for a player that doesn’t want to be there.
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