Of course, there are important caveats in the potential plans for both the Celtics and Lillard. From the player’s perspective, Lillard is — like Celtics star Jayson Tatum — currently rehabbing a ruptured Achilles tendon (sustained during a first-round playoff series in April).

Luka Doncic currently has the highest usage rate in NBA history (35.5%), with LeBron James just five spots behind (31.4%). Lillard clocks in at 25th (29.0%), but with Doncic and James on the court, Dame will be lucky if he hits 27%.

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.