Kendrick Perkins In Favor Of Celtics ‘Knocking’ For Damian Lillard

The Boston Celtics made their first offseason splash by adding Kristaps Porzingis, however, should they be in the mix for another?

With the Trail Blazers rumored to be seeking a trade partner in order to officially deal franchise star Damian Lillard, the Celtics are right back in the rumor mill after reportedly reaching out to Portland, inquiring about the 32-year-old.

So, should the C’s try to orchestrate a trade? Well, former Celtics player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is all in favor of Boston pursuing Lillard to form a big three with Jayson Tatum and Porzingis.

“If you could get Damian Lillard alongside Jayson Tatum with the addition of Porzingis, that would be a nice big three in the Eastern Conference because again, Jayson Tatum is coming up for a contract extension in about a year or two,” Perkins explained Monday on “SportsCenter.” “So with that being said, you wanna make sure you do right by him as well and so we know that Dame wants to get to a contending team. This is a Celtics team that was actually in the NBA Finals two seasons ago. So when I look at the Celtics, I would be knocking and calling and blowing the Trail Blazers phone up to try to get Damian Lillard.”

While it wasn’t specifically mentioned, one might assume that Perkins insinuated the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown, who’s eligible to sign a supermax with Boston and likely would headline Portland’s desired return in a potential swap for Lillard.

In theory, yes, Lillard would be a good addition to the Celtics, putting aside any hypothetical trade package, especially those involving Brown. Lillard, like the Celtics, is hungry for an NBA title, having gone through 11 years of disappointment in Portland, including just one trip to the Western Conference finals in 2019.

But with other bidders expecting to line up, such as the Miami Heat, the Celtics won’t have as easy of a time pursuing Lillard as they did in acquiring Porzingis a few weeks ago. Lillard, a seven-time All-Star, has proven himself in the playoffs, averaging 25.7 points on 41.2% shooting from the field, despite growing accustomed to dragging a lackluster supporting cast with the Trail Blazers.

Lillard is also just two years removed from leading the NBA in clutch points, scoring 162 while shooting 51.1% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc, finishing seventh in MVP voting that season.

With plenty of experience and motivation in place, acquiring Lillard should be a no-brainer, right? Well, the asking price should pose the biggest challenge, not only for the Celtics, but for anyone interested this offseason.