Last season’s NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers had a very disappointing campaign this time out as they were eliminated in the first round of the postseason. They were no match for Chris Paul led Phoenix Suns who have now progressed to the NBA finals.
The Portland Trail Blazers also had a season very similar to that of the Lakers as they also got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. But now the two franchises have been in the news regarding a massive trade. It could see Damian Lillard joining the Purple and Gold and pairing up with LeBron James and others. However, the deal is far from done but Lillard is exactly the kind of player that the Lakers need. Even famous rapper Ice Cube also feels that it is a great move for Lillard.
The Lakers entered this season with renewed energy of winning two titles in a row. Their roster was also very strong and along with the Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers were also considered as favourites to win the title. However, despite the strong start things started to fall down when both LeBron and Anthony Davis were sidelined for a large chunk of the season. Their quality came down drastically and finally they had to beat the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs. But then AD got injured again and the Lakers were knocked out in the first round itself.
The poor results have forced the team management to take harsh decisions on players. Hence they are looking to add another leader to this team and someone like Dame will be perfect for the Lakers.
Lillard has played the waiting game with Portland for a long time. Despite being one of the best point guards in the league he is yet to win a ring. Hence rumours of Lillard leaving Portland have been surfacing for the last few weeks and it looks like this offseason will be the end of the road for Dame in Portland.
NBA Analyst Stephen A. Smith has always rooted for Dame to join a franchise with more ambition and he feels that the move to Lakers will be perfect for the point guard. Recently rapper O’Shea Jackson, with his stage name as Ice Cube also gave his opinion on Smith’s show.
He said, “If you want a championship, you should come join the Lakers, If you want to just score a lot of points and be the man, stay in Portland. But come win a championship. You deserve it. He’s given a lot to that city. So give some of that love to the L.A. Lakers.”
If the deal goes through the Lakers once again will be tagged as the favourites in the Western Conference and also in the entire NBA.
