Damian Lillard Linked to Lakers, Celtics Amid Warriors Rumors in 2025 NBA Free Agency

Following his stunning exit from the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard is attracting a lot of attention from several high-profile teams on the free-agent market.

Per The Athletic's Eric Nehm, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are among the teams with interest in signing Lillard "sooner rather than later."

ESPN's Marc J. Spears said on Tuesday the Golden State Warriors have also reached out to Lillard after he was waived by the Bucks.

The Bucks had little wiggle room to upgrade their roster when free agency started, so they decided to make the most dramatic move possible with the hope of keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo happy.

The Bucks waived Lillard using the stretch provision on the remaining $113 million on his contract. The Bucks will be paying him $22.5 million for each of the next five years—which also counts against their cap—not to play for them.

Milwaukee made that move to create enough cap space to give Myles Turner a four-year, $107 million contract in free agency.

This whole scenario has made Lillard a free agent for the first time in his storied career, but it's unclear if he is even going to sign with a club this season. There have been conflicting reports about his status for the 2025-26 campaign as he continues to rehab from a torn Achilles suffered in Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers on April 27.

Spears said on Tuesday's episode of NBA Today there is "speculation" that Lillard could return around the All-Star break.

However, ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Jamal Collier reported the current expectation around the NBA is Lillard won't sign with any team for the upcoming season.

If Lillard were to sign with a team this season, Spears noted it could be a two-year deal since his new team wouldn't get maximum value this coming season due to his injury.

The interest from Los Angeles, Boston and Golden State isn't a surprise. All three teams are looking for ways to upgrade but don't have a lot of wiggle room either due to the tax or apron rules.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Celtics started free agency $7.4 million over the first apron. The Lakers are $4 million under the first apron. The Warriors are $17 million under the tax, but they are also waiting for a resolution to Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency.

Since Lillard is still being paid his entire salary by the Bucks and because of the injury he's still rehabbing from, it's unlikely to cost any team a lot of money to sign him.

The Warriors stand out by virtue of being based close to Lillard's hometown in Oakland. The Lakers and Celtics aren't definite title contenders as presently constructed, but they have pieces in place to at least be interesting next season.

Every team is always in need of more shooting. Lillard, assuming he can return at close to the form he had prior to the injury, has always been able to score from anywhere on the court.