The Damian Lillard saga continues to grow as the superstar’s days in Portland seem to be shrinking by the minute. There was speculation that Lillard could request a trade out of Portland after yet another early exit in the NBA Playoffs and now that seems as a matter of it, not when.
Reports surfaced on Friday that Lillard will indeed request a trade from Portland, who he opened up about with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Lillard told Haynes, among a deeper conversation, that the Blazers have constantly come up short and it is time to look in the mirror. He also explained why this offseason is an important juncture in his career.
Junctures typically mean change… just saying.
No, the Los Angeles Lakers are not trading for Damian Lillard.
I know there is a portion of the fanbase that is trying to be hopeful and optimistic but it simply is not going to happen. The Los Angeles Lakers do not have the capital to trade for Dame after trading for Anthony Davis.
Portland isn’t going to take Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, Talen Horton-Tucker, the 22nd pick and a first-round pick in 2027. There are so many teams that can do far better than that package. It is completely unrealistic.
However, that does not mean that the Lillard trade news does not impact the Lakers. Being one of the top contenders in the NBA, the Lakers are naturally going to be impacted based on who he is traded to. The hope is that wherever he lands still falls below the Lakers on the totem pole.
There are landing spots that would hurt the Lakers, though. Teams that could trade for Lillard and shift the balance of the league, potentially derailing the Lakers’ title hopes in the process.
Let’s get into the Lillard trades that the Lakers should be hoping do not happen.
Note: This is not a report that these teams are talking about said trade packages. These are simply trade packages that could make sense for both sides and would hurt the Los Angeles Lakers. This is not reported news.