Damien Lillard’s travel from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks wasn’t too bad.
The Bucks were not a finalist for Lillard’s trading destination, but at least he managed to form an incredible duo with Giannis Antetocomo.
Unfortunately, Antetokounmpo was injured in the playoffs last year, but Lillard suffered from Achilles torn this season.
Milwaukee then abandoned Lillard, freed up Miles Turner’s cap space and left the contract.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are among several teams that are reportedly interested in signing point guard despite his probably not playing next season.
But former All-Star Jeff Teague hopes Lillard will reject the franchise of those cornerstones in favor of other organizations.
Teague’s biggest problem with Lillard, who could go to the Celtics, Lakers, or another competing team, is that they really don’t “care” about him.
At best, he will be the third or fourth option on a championship team, and at worst, it could be another situation like the Bucks.
Teague urged Lillard to return to the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Back to the Blazers, he already has a lovely home there. He loves it there. He still lives there in the summer. That’s not intended.
“Back to where you are being celebrated, you are the leader of the franchise. Just go and retire from Blazer. He’s coming back from Achilles.
“I don’t know how he’ll bounce off that Achilles. He… try it as a blazer. No one is mad at you on a blazer. No one is going to say it…
“He didn’t want to leave. He tried to win. He tried to come back. He made a mistake.
“That’s not a problem anymore. He’s already tried. He played with the best top 20 best players of all time. It didn’t work. I’m going back to the best blazer of all time.
“If you’re going to the Celtics… no one cares about you. No one cares about you on the rocket. No one cares about you. No one cares about you for the warriors. No one cares about you with the Lakers.
“In the Blazers, you’re a legend. You’re everything. You’re going back. Maybe you’re not just chasing the ring.”
If Lillard ignores Teague’s advice and decides to join another competing team, the Celtics make much more sense than the Lakers.
Even if LeBron James retires or switches the team by the 2026-27 season, the Lakers will have the dominant ball handler for Luka Donsic.
Lillard has to get out of the bench or alongside the Slovenian superstar to give his backcourt a nasty fit.
In contrast, the two best players for the Celtics are forwards Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown. Both can handle the ball, but they work well together with true point guards.
Moreover, the NBA may not have a better security guard to compensate for Lillard’s defensive flaws than Derrick White.