NBA Rumors: LA Lakers Could Acquire Damian Lillard For Three Players And Two First-Round Picks
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, several crazy trade ideas have started surfacing in the league. One includes a blockbuster deal that would enable Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard to join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2020-21 NBA season. In the trade scenario proposed by Gus Martin of Fadeaway World, the Lakers would be sending a trade package that includes Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, one of Avery Bradley, Alex Caruso, or Quinn Cook, plus a couple of future first-round picks to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Lillard.
“Lillard doesn’t want to leave Portland as of now, but everyone knows James tends to recruit players when the opportunity arises. If the Trailblazers falter once again in the postseason or don’t even make the playoffs, Lillard could be convinced to want a new opportunity. Los Angeles could offer two first-round picks, one in 2020 and another in 2022, as well as Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, and one of Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook and Alex Caruso to Portland in exchange for the franchise point guard. This haul gives the Trailblazers assets to work with for the future while making the Lakers immediate title favorites with one of the best big-threes in recent NBA history.”
Acquiring a player of Lillard’s caliber for a package that doesn’t include James or Davis is definitely a no-brainer for the Lakers. Lillard is currently one of the best active point guards in the league. Though he’s already 30, he still has enough productive seasons left in his career to help James and Davis win multiple NBA championship titles and establish a dynasty in Los Angeles.
The successful acquisition of Lillard this fall would immediately address one of the major issues on the Lakers’ roster, as he would give them a very reliable scoring option that could ease the load on James’ shoulders in terms of playmaking. Aside from being a prolific scorer, he’s also an elite three-point shooter, facilitator, and perimeter defender. This season, he’s averaging 28.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 1.0 steal while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.
It would still take time for Lillard to adjust since this would be his first time on a team with two alpha players. However, if they manage to build good chemistry, the Lakers would undoubtedly become the No. 1 favorite to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy next year and in following seasons.
Unfortunately, there’s only a minimal chance for the Lillard-to-Lakers blockbuster deal to happen in the 2020 offseason. Despite their underwhelming performance this season, the Trail Blazers still haven’t given any indication that they would be breaking up their explosive backcourt duo this fall. Even if Lillard ends up finding his way off the team, they will likely seek a better package than what the Purple and Gold could offer.
