Damian Lillard says he’d ‘clearly’ select the Warmth over the Celtics

Celtics

Lillard stated he’d choose Miami and Brooklyn over Boston.

Damian Lillard continues to be underneath contract with the Trailblazers, so Portland would seemingly have comply with a commerce for him to land with a brand new crew.

Throughout a current interview on Showtime’s “The Final Stand” with Brian Custer, Lillard said he wouldn’t choose Boston if it had been as much as him.

Custer requested Lillard about a number of rumored commerce locations, together with Boston, New York, and Brooklyn.

 “If a kind of trades went by means of, out of these groups, which one would you be like, ‘Eh, that’s not too dangerous?” Custer requested.

Lillard laughed as he responded.

“Miami, clearly,” Lillard stated. “(Warmth middle) Bam (Adebayo) is my canine for actual however Miami, clearly. Brooklyn is one other apparent one as a result of Mikal Bridges is my canine too.”

A number of analysts, together with ESPN’s Stephen A Smith, have talked about Lillard as a commerce goal for the Celtics. Smith stated earlier this week that he doesn’t assume Jaylen Brown is price a supermax contract and that Lillard might be a substitute.

“Both you get an abundance of gamers, which I don’t assume is critical,” Smith stated. “Or, you get a superstar-caliber sniper like Damian Lillard to come back to Boston in return for [Brown’s] companies. If I’m the Boston Celtics, I’m one thing alongside these traces relatively than giving [Brown] $59 million, which is greater than Damian Lillard is making at this second in time.”

Lillard, who turns 33 subsequent month, signed a two-year extension with Portland that would take his annual wage as excessive as $63 million in his closing season in 2027.

However, for the subsequent two seasons, Lillard’s wage might be underneath $50 million.