Lakers News: Before The Bucks, Stephen A Smith Pitched LA Trade For Damian Lillard

Could it have actually happened?

Before the NBA world received word that Portland Trail Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard would be heading to the Milwaukee Bucks, it seemed possible that your Los Angeles Lakers could have added their name to the sweepstakes after Portland's reluctance to take Miami's proposed package. 

Lillard's sights were set on the Heat, but as the Blazers continued to stall on the deal, one analyst believed Rob Pelinka could have swept in for a league-shattering move. 

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Although LA was scarred by their previous starry guard addition that didn't pan out in the slightest in Russell Westbrook, Lillard brings a whole other element to Crypto.com Arena. 

A high volume three-point shooter and aggressive scorer, just one Conference Finals appearance in 2019 highlights Lillard's underwhelming decade in Portland. 

Without serious superstar help and poor free agent contracts that held the roster around him hostage, Dame Time decided enough was enough and demanded out from the team who drafted him in 2013. 

Arguably the greatest player in franchise history this side of Clyde Drexler (LaMarcus Aldridge left with too much gas in the tank to count), Lillard's addition to any contender surely shakes up the power balance within the NBA for any team he'd join. 

Alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, LA's big three likely would have become the best in the league -- though Phoenix's addition of Bradley Beal to their core of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant most certainly are in the conversation. 

Though the front office prioritized depth around their superstar talents in the offseason, Lillard's addition to the Lakers' superstar frontcourt was a gamble probably worth taking.

With multiple tradable contracts, draft picks and some young assets on the roster, it was up to Pelinka if he wanted to gut his depth once again to bring in an MVP-caliber point guard to his team. He decided to hold onto those assets, perhaps for another aggrieved West All-Star guard...

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