Getty Rob Pelinka, Los Angeles Lakers
If the Los Angeles Lakers are determined to put a contending team around LeBron James, then Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz’s latest trade proposal could be a legitimate answer.
The trade proposal looks like this:
Lakers Get: Damian Lillard & Justise Winslow
Portland Trail Blazers Get: Max Christie, Austin Reaves, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round draft pick (via Chicago Bulls), and Russell Westbrook who is then bought out.
There is a middle ground between “the Lakers don’t have enough assets to trade for Damian Lillard or another in-his-prime superstar” and “everything the Lakers have besides LeBron and AD is garbage,” you know.
“The Lakers get one of the NBA’s best point guards, someone who instantly elevates Los Angeles into championship contender status. Portland would free up a ton of future cap space by removing the roughly $250 million owed to Lillard while also collecting two future unprotected picks, two immediate second-round selections, and a pair of young guards in Christie and Reaves. Expect the Lakers to be monitoring the Blazers’ record very carefully this season,” Swartz wrote in his October 21 article.
Lillard, a career 37.2% three-point shooter would be a much better fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to the two Lakers’ star’s skill-sets being predicated around the basket.
LeBron Knows Lakers Lack Shooting
Speaking to the media following the Lakers opening night loss to the Golden State Warriors, LeBron spoke about his team’s shot profile, and how opponents are likely sagging off on the perimeter due to the Lakers’ limited scoring potential from deep.
“I mean, I don’t know. I think we’re getting great looks and I think there also could be some teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting. And that’s just what the truth of the matter is. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a bunch of lasers on our team. But that doesn’t deter us from still trying to get great shots. When you get those opportunities, you take them. But we’re not sitting here with a bunch of 40-plus [percent] career 3-point shooting guys,” James said.
On opening night, the Lakers went 10-of-40 from deep, and followed that performance up with a 9-for-45 performance against the LA Clippers, giving them a conversion rate of 19-for-85 in their first two games which is a 22.35% success rate – not good enough for a team hoping to contend for a championship.
LeBron Has Faith in Westbrook
Against the Clippers on October 20, Westbrook went 0-of-11 from the field, as the Lakers fell to their second straight loss of the season. Despite their slow start, LeBron remained optimistic when he spoke with the media following the game, noting that every player has poor shooting nights and Westbrook is no different.
LeBron James’ advice to Russell Westbrook after his 0/11 shooting night: “Flush it down the toilet.”
“Just flush it down the toilet and get ready for Sunday. He’s a veteran. We’ve all had bad shooting nights. Everybody in this league has had bad shooting nights. Who cares. I thought he played a great game. Defensively he was in tune, he pushed the tempo. He didn’t make any shots and that’s OK. He had five steals and two back-to-back in a critical time when they were trying to post him against Kawhi. He didn’t make any shots and that’s fine,” LeBron said.
Regardless of whether Westbrook starts making some of his shots or not, the fact remains that his fit with the Lakers is like a square peg in a round hole – there’s simply too much crossover in skillsets between the team’s top three players.
As such, making a move for a guard such as Lillard could be the ideal situation for everyone involved, and would allow Westbrook the opportunity to choose his next team once he hits the buy-out market.