The sure-fire Hall of Famer is a free agent for the first time in his career, and the Celtics have a midlevel exception slot that could fit him nicely.

The Celtics could not offer Damian Lillard much now in free agency but changes to the roster would change that.

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).