Tuesday morning saw the Milwaukee Bucks move off of nine-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard in favor of signing Pacers center Myles Turner— leading to one of the league’s biggest names hitting the open market.
Despite his age and recent Achilles injury, Dame is expected to have a number of suitors in free agency. And according to reports, three teams in particular already have their eye on signing the longtime Blazers guard.
Per The Athletic: “The Warriors, Celtics and Lakers are among the teams that have interest in doing a deal with Damian Lillard sooner rather than later,” according to the publication.
Adding, “Lillard received calls from several contending teams quickly after the news of his Bucks’ ending broke. The question is whether he wants to sign with a team now and rehabilitate while under their care or wait until next summer to reassess the situation.”
The Warriors, Celtics and Lakers are among the teams that have interest in doing a deal with Damian Lillard sooner rather than later, sources tell @eric_nehm, @sam_amick and @joevardon.
Lillard received calls from several contending teams quickly after the news of his Bucks’… pic.twitter.com/YuonUE0mEF
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 2, 2025
The star PG was reportedly “elated” to be get out of Milwaukee after two disappointing seasons teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“League sources say Lillard is elated with this decision, as it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star level players, if any, have experienced in league history,” NBA insider Sam Amick revealed.
“In short, he’ll be able to join the contending team of his choosing, either sometime soon or perhaps next summer, without the financial aspect of the decision playing a significant part.”
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Some have called the Bucks’ recent moves “reckless” given the tenuous situation with their Greek-born superstar and the huge amount of money they gave to Turner.
“That’s a move you talk yourself into in the boardroom in July when you have nowhere else to go and you turn a bad situation into a worse one,” one executive told ESPN. “They’re going to look at this in two years and say, ‘What did we do?'”
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