Jones & Keefe: The Celtics should stay away from Damian Lillard

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00:00Jones and Keith here on WEI.

00:02That was Gary Washburn.

00:03We'll get to the Celtics and their pursuit of Damian Lillard in just a moment.

00:09If you missed any of our tiers on a tier Tuesday,

00:11we teared off all the teams in Major League Baseball at the All-Star break.

00:15It's available now at Jones and Keith on Twitter and Instagram.

00:19You can follow us there.

00:20Go seek that out.

00:21Good work by Terp.

00:22Putting that together and turning it around quickly.

00:24I'll also talk to Tommy Curran of NBC Sports Boston

00:27on a Tommy Tuesday at high noon.

00:31As for Gary Washburn and his information that Jason Tatum is very involved

00:39in the pursuit of Damian Lillard.

00:43I mean, Lillard's still out there.

00:44He's still available.

00:45He hasn't signed anywhere.

00:46The Celtics have been linked to him, it seems, pretty heavily.

00:50The fact that Tatum's pushing for it,

00:52does it make you feel any differently about their chase, their pursuit of Lillard?

00:56Well, I mean, not really.

00:58I think there is, of course, a possibility.

01:01I don't think Lillard, almost similar to the Steph Diggs conversation,

01:04I don't think Lillard's going to have a million teams lined up for him.

01:07You know, the Milwaukee Bucks just traded for him

01:10and had him on the team and played a couple years,

01:13didn't really work out, and then they decided to go stretch provision,

01:16get rid of him, and then use some of that money on Miles Turner.

01:20So they're a contender.

01:21They're keeping Giannis, and they even decided,

01:23no, no, no, we don't want Lillard.

01:24So I don't think a million teams are going to be interested in Lillard.

01:27Apparently, he and Tatum are friends.

01:29They were on, what, the 2020 Olympic team together?

01:31Right.

01:31All NBA star players are friends, by the way.

01:34But by the way, they were, it was the 2020 Olympics, you're right,

01:37which I think they played in 2021.

01:38Well, right, right, right.

01:39But what happened?

01:41Well, they knew each other that whole time,

01:42and then two years ago, Lillard was scoffing at the idea of coming to Boston.

01:46Yeah.

01:46Now him and Tatum are best buds, and he's recruiting.

01:49No, but Tatum, Lillard also thought he probably had a bigger market.

01:53Lillard also wanted to go to Miami.

01:54So I think it's 100% bad.

01:56Yeah.

01:56I think, you know, Lillard used to be in demand.

01:58Now he's not.

01:58And he's going to go wherever he can go.

02:00And then Tatum's here.

02:01And one of the things we always want star players from all the teams,

02:04we were just giving Bregman and Crochet credit for recruiting Joe Ryan.

02:07Yep.

02:07So if Tatum wants to recruit Damian Lillard, great.

02:10It doesn't mean Brad Stevens is going to make that move.

02:13It doesn't mean that Chisholm's going to say,

02:15yeah, let's pay for another player to rehab for a year.

02:18If Jason Tatum's going to recruit somebody to come to Boston,

02:20I know he's not on the floor until next year.

02:23Could he recruit somebody who's going to play?

02:24You know, he's like, I'm not playing.

02:26Like, that would annoy me if I were Jalen Brown.

02:28Who also, I don't know if you saw any of his comments to Kyrie, right?

02:32Is that where it was?

02:33I know.

02:33Jalen Brown makes it difficult to like him.

02:35But like, if I were Jalen, I'd be a little annoyed with Tatum.

02:38It's like, well, are you just building the team for next year?

02:40Yeah, I got a guy for next year.

02:41You're not even worried about this year's team.

02:43Like, that would annoy me if I was Jalen Brown.

02:45That annoys me to a degree as a Celtics fan.

02:47Like, all right, Jason, I get you're not on the floor.

02:50What, you just not care?

02:51You don't care about this year's team?

02:52Could you recruit somebody who's going to suit up this year?

02:54Any healthy players you like?

02:56How about a big man?

02:57I'll take a big.

02:58Could you recruit a big for the front court this year?

03:01For another guard.

03:01So, I get that he doesn't have a relationship with every single player in the league.

03:05This is a player he has a relationship with.

03:07But I've never liked the optics of them going after Lillard.

03:10And I like it even less now that I know Tatum's in the middle of it.

03:13It's like, I already know Bill Chisholm doesn't care about this team this year.

03:16Does Tatum?

03:17It doesn't seem like it.

03:18No, that's frustrating.

03:19It does because it's very much a punt for next year where you say the Eastern Conference is pretty wide open.

03:24Why can't you play?

03:25That's what I think.

03:25Why can't you be as competitive as possible?

03:28And, you know, if Lillard was healthy, I'd be like, you know what?

03:33I know they're already pretty small, but I'll take them.

03:35Like, I'll take Lillard and figure it out with all the guys that you have.

03:38And you're going to play small ball, but you're going to be able to shoot like crazy.

03:41And it'd be fun.

03:42It'd be entertaining as hell.

03:43But, oh, he's got to rehab for a whole year.

03:46Then he comes back?

03:47Like, no, I don't think so.

03:48Doesn't make a lot of sense.

03:49Plus, you desperately need bigs.

03:51Let me give you an example.

03:52Is Tatum recruiting Horford as hard as he's recruiting Lillard?

03:56He might be.

03:56I haven't seen any reports that he's not reaching out to Al Horford.

03:59Yeah.

04:00But is Tatum talking to Horford?

04:02He still hasn't signed.

04:04It sounds like he's different because Horford doesn't need to be recruited on Boston.

04:07He already knows Boston.

04:09And but don't you think if Tatum leaned on him a little bit, that would carry some weight?

04:12But if I'm Horford, I'm like, I got one year left, Jason, and you're not even playing.

04:15Yeah.

04:16But Tatum could still recruit him.

04:17It could still be.

04:18Hey, man, I might come back late in the year and team up with you guys next year.

04:21Oh, I guess there's that.

04:21Brad hasn't ruled that out.

04:23He hasn't.

04:23I think they should.

04:24Indiana officially ruled out Halliburton.

04:26Tatum has not been ruled out.

04:27Strange.

04:28So look, I don't think Horford's coming back.

04:30Me neither.

04:31Now, so Brad Stevens said in the press conference, it's unlikely he'll be back.

04:34But more Eastern Conference teams are in the mix.

04:37Horford would rather go to the Bucs than you.

04:39Two Eastern Conference teams.

04:40Who was the other one?

04:41Atlanta?

04:41I think it was the Bucs in Atlanta off the top of my head.

04:43Oh.

04:44Like those those teams now.

04:46He's going to go to those teams over.

04:48He's probably going to have his jersey retired in Atlanta.

04:50Oh, actually, he's a Hawks legend.

04:52So good point.

04:52His backstory with Atlanta or his history with Atlanta.

04:54Maybe he goes back to Atlanta and ends his career there.

04:56I don't know.

04:58My guess would still be one of those Western Conference teams.

05:01I could see him on the Warriors for sure.

05:03But he hasn't signed there.

05:05No, I know.

05:05He hasn't.

05:06And now again, the report from Mark Spears.

05:08I'm just pulling out.

05:08I don't think his market was quite as robust.

05:10And if it was, it's like they don't want to offer much money.

05:12Lakers, Milwaukee, Atlanta are all in the mix.

05:14So you're right.

05:15Stupid me.

05:16I didn't even think about Horford starting his career in Atlanta and going back there.

05:19That one makes more sense.

05:19Milwaukee, like Tatum should leave.

05:21And maybe he is.

05:22I'm not saying he's not.

05:23But I'd feel better about Tatum recruiting Horford, a guy who's going to play this year,

05:28than recruiting Damian Lillard to build a team for next year where it feels like everybody's

05:32just all locked in on next season and doesn't care about the upcoming season.

05:36Do you think Brad Stevens, based on all the moves that he has made and also the restrictions

05:41that he's under right now, would just, do you think he would sign Damian Lillard?

05:46I kind of don't think so.

05:47I mean, they're linked to him.

05:48Where do you think that's coming from?

05:50Oh, I think it helps everybody.

05:52I brought this up before.

05:53I think it helps.

05:54You think it's just for PR purposes?

05:56Yeah.

05:56I'd be like, all right, hey guys, we're not just dumping everybody.

05:58We're actually even interested in this guy who's going to be a Hall of Famer.

06:01And everybody knows who Damian Lillard is.

06:02He's one of the 10 most popular players in the NBA.

06:04We're interested.

06:05See, we're still involved.

06:06Even though our starting big court or front court right now is Xavier Tillman and Nimas

06:10Keita.

06:11I can meet you there.

06:12You think it's just for PR purposes?

06:13I think it helps both sides.

06:14I think the Lillard could be like, see, I'm not damaged goods.

06:19Teams do want me.

06:20And the Celtics can be like, we're still in the market of adding players.

06:23I think it's a win-win.

06:24I don't think it ends up happening, though.

06:26Okay.

06:26Look, I'm against it.

06:28And I was already against it.

06:29I like it even less now that I know Tatum is full court press on Damian Lillard.

06:34And Tatum's already one foot out the door on this season, worried about building his

06:37team for when he returns and not worried about this year's team.

06:40That's annoying to me.

06:41The whole thing.

06:42The whole pursuit of Lillard is annoying to me.

06:44And I didn't like this.

06:45And maybe Tatum is recruiting Horford.

06:47Maybe he's blowing up his phone, just like he's doing the same with Lillard.

06:50I'd feel better about those reports than this.

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