Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Damian Lillard, POR 2022 2nd Round Pick
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: C Montrezl Harrell, F Kyle Kuzma, LAL 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #22), LAL 2025 1st Round Pick (Pick Swap, More Favorable to POR), LAL 2026 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), LAL 2027 1st Round Pick (Pick Swap, More Favorable to POR)
If the Lakers want to try and get Damian Lillard, they better be prepared to offer up pretty much everybody and every asset on their roster not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis! That is essentially what the market for Lillard is right now and this trade proposal still may not even be enough for the Lakers to potentially trade for him.
Damian Lillard is an NBA superstar and has cemented himself as one of the best players in the league over the last few years. Over the last two seasons alone, Lillard has averaged 29.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and has shot 39.6% from three-point land on over 10 attempts per game!
Next to Stephen Curry, Lillard is probably the most lethal perimeter shooter in the league right now and if he does become available in trade talks, the Lakers are not the only team who are going to want him. All other 29 teams in the league, whether they need a point guard or not, will pick up the phone and call Portland’s GM Neil Olshey because of how good Damian Lillard is.
Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the only other players under contract for next season in Los Angeles are Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell (player option), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marc Gasol and Alfonzo McKinnie. Out of all of those guys, Kuzma and Harrell are really the only ones who hold some kind of value, which is why they would be the ones included in the best offer the Lakers can send to the Trail Blazers.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 4 players the Trail Blazers should target in a Damian Lillard trade
If Los Angeles was to attempt to trade for Lillard, then a third and maybe even a fourth team would have to be involved that way Portland can get the talent they want, but a lot goes into this one-on-one trade package between the Lakers and Blazers.
First off, this trade would likely have to happen on draft night or soon after because the Lakers’ 2021 1st Round Pick cannot be traded outright due to the Stepien Rule. Teams cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive years outright, which is why the Lakers would have to draft for Portland and then trade them this pick/prospect.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: League insider details potential Knicks trade package for Damian Lillard
Another potential roadblock in this trade is the fact that Montrezl Harrel has the option of becoming a free agent. He has a $9.7M player option for the 2021-22 season that he has to make a decision on by July 31, so if Harrell was to opt out, he suddenly becomes a non-factor in trade talks for the Lakers.
For these reasons is why more teams would have to be involved in this trade for the Lakers to possibly get a deal done for Damian Lillard, but with all of this said, let’s take a look at if trading for and trading away Lillard makes sense for both the Lakers and Blazers respectively.
