Last summer, needing an infusion of talent to return to the top of the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a trade for Russell Westbrook that sent Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a first-round draft pick to the Washington Wizards.
It is a move widely considered a mistake, if not a disaster.
L.A. had other options, and one of those options was reportedly making a move for perennial All-Star guard Damian Lillard.
After years of losing early in the playoffs and being stuck with a roster that looked doomed to being merely good but not great, Lillard asked the Portland Trail Blazers to trade him that offseason.
That summer, LeBron James and Anthony Davis attempted to recruit Lillard to the Purple and Gold.
Via The Ringer:
“James had suffered an early playoff exit himself, and was looking to recruit a star guard to Los Angeles. Ever the salesman, he extended Lillard an invitation to his sprawling Brentwood estate.
“‘He was just like, “Pull up to the house,”‘ Lillard told me recently. ‘And I’m like, (expletive), I’m out here. Tomorrow is the only day I ain’t got nothing planned out. I can pull up for a little bit.’
“Now Lillard was seated across from James and Anthony Davis, who needed help in their quest for another title. That evening, they indulged in expensive wine and Italian cuisine and discussed their plans for the future. ‘We just chopped it up just about the possibilities,’ Lillard said.
“‘What’s going on with you?’ Lillard said James asked him.
“‘And I was like, “I really don’t know what we’re doing,'” Lillard said. ‘It was just a conversation like that.'”
Moving south to join the Lakers was something Lillard felt obliged to at least consider.