The Boston Celtics' franchise-altering offseason took an unexpected turn Wednesday with the team's reported interest in superstar guard Damian Lillard.

On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks waived Lillard to free up cap space to sign former Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner in free agency. They did so by stretching the $112.6 million remaining on Lillard's contract over the next five years.

The Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers are "known to be among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal (with Lillard) sooner rather than later," The Athletic's Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon reported. The mention of Boston came as a surprise with the team shedding salary this summer by parting with Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), and Luke Kornet (free agency), and still aiming to get under the second apron of the luxury tax.

Given the current state of the C's, signing Lillard may seem like a head-scratcher, especially with the 34-year-old set to miss all of the 2025-26 campaign due to a torn Achilles. But looking beyond next season, it's easy to see why Boston is intrigued by the idea of adding the nine-time All-Star to the mix.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated shared his take on the Celtics' reported interest in Lillard during Wednesday's episode of The Off C'season.

"I think the mechanics of a deal will be the most important thing," Mannix said. "Dame is done for the '25-'26 season. He got injured in the first round of the playoffs. He's not coming back until the same year Tatum is coming back. But I thought he was an interesting player for Boston when Portland was dangling him a couple of years ago. I still think he's an interesting player now because he is a proven postseason scorer. He is a clutch shooter. And if he's available on the cheap, which I believe he will be to whatever team signs him to his next deal, absolutely, I think they should consider pursuing him.

"And look, he's not gonna be as pricey as he once was because he's going to get the full $100+ million from Milwaukee after they waived and stretched him. So yeah, I think the Celtics are among the teams that are going to show an interest in Damian Lillard, but I do expect it to be a strong market for Damian Lillard."

As Mannix notes, the Celtics wouldn't have to worry too much about the financials since Lillard will be earning $22.5 million per year from the Bucks. He will likely be available for relatively cheap, so there's no real downside to adding a supremely talented player with the goal of returning to contention in 2027.

That said, Lillard may wait a while to decide on his next destination. Mannix believes the seven-time All-NBA selection could put his contract offers on the back burner while he rehabs in Portland this season.

"When I've talked to people around Lillard, I think he wants to rehab in Portland, or do a lot of it in Portland," Mannix said. "He spent the last couple of years away from his family, away from his kids, living in Milwaukee. I talked to him about this in the past, others have as well, like, how difficult that was for him. I think he'd like to spend the bulk of next year around them, and I wouldn't expect him to be looking for a deal right now.

"He's got plenty of money coming his way from Milwaukee. He's got all the resources in the world potentially at his fingertips out there. I think there's gonna be a decision he makes months from now rather than days and weeks from now."

Lillard may not be the same player when he returns from injury, but he was outstanding for the Bucks last season. He averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range.