NBA rumors: 5 teams that should call Blazers about Damian Lillard trade

3. Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum is a bona fide star, and Jaylen Brown is becoming one, but outside of that, the Boston Celtics need a massive roster overhaul. Danny Ainge is out as team president, Brad Stevens is into one role and out of another, and this team needs a new head coach. Changes are definitely coming, and a pairing of Lillard and Tatum would automatically make the Celtics a force in the East again.

The question is how they actually make that happen, because Kemba Walker has lost most of his trade value thanks to that contract, his middling play this season and a number of nagging injuries. Boston would obviously try to start with Walker in any trade discussion for Dame, attaching future draft assets as needed from there.

The Blazers may unmoved by the prospect of a 31-year-old point guard with diminishing play who is nowhere near as good as Lillard. He’s only got one year left on his contract, which may make it worth Portland’s while if there are tons of draft assets attached, but his $37.7 million player option for the following year may be a worrisome proposition if they’d rather start shedding salary.

Then again, the Blazers will need players to round out the roster if they trade Dame and commit to a full-on rebuild, and Kemba is an exciting player when healthy. He wouldn’t be a long-term fixture or even the short-term solution to keep this team competitive; he’d simply be an entertaining filler piece as Rip City tries to move on to a new chapter, with a bevy of draft picks being the real prize.

If the Blazers actively don’t want Kemba Walker, things would get really interesting once they counter with a request for Jaylen Brown.