The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that was touted as a championship level at the beginning of the season, but they have not met public expectations, they are currently only ninth in the West, and if the playoffs start now, they will have to play two playoffs to qualify for the playoffs.
Many people claim that one of the reasons the Lakers have struggled with their performance this season is that russell Westbrook and LeBron James and Anthony Davis are not compatible. So one way the Lakers can improve is to replace Westbrook with another star who is more suitable for pairing with James and Davis, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard seems to be a good candidate. And there are already rumors that if Lillard is traded, he wants to stay on the West Coast, then the Lakers may be the only team that meets the conditions, the following is the deal plan given by Xiaobian.
Lakers: Lillard
Trail Blazers: Westbrook, Tarren Horton Tucker, Malik Munch, Lakers 2027 first-round picks
There are certainly other teams that can fulfill Lillard's desire to stay on the West Coast, though those whose teams will have a hard time getting him, or won't necessarily need to get him. For example, the Golden State Warriors are currently second in the league, they do not need to destroy the existing good chemistry to get Lillard, and the Sacramento Kings are about to start another rebuilding process, Lillard will not be interested in such a fish belly team that is inferior to the Blazers, while the Los Angeles Clippers do not have the necessary trading assets to get him, so that only the Lakers are eligible.
Once he joins the Lakers, Lillard will become the third choice for the team behind Davis and James, and will also become a member of the new Big Three, helping the Lakers achieve the goal of regaining the championship, because Lillard has super no-ball and projection ability, he will be a very suitable person to play next to James and Davis, and when James is resting, Lillard can also become the main controller on the court to lead the second team of attack, in addition to Lillard's biggest advantage is the key ball, and this is exactly where the Lakers lack the most.
While Lillard has been slightly sluggish this season due to injury impacts, he is one of the best point guards in the league under the condition of health. In the 2020-21 season, Lillard averaged 28.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, shooting 39.9% from three-point range, and he will certainly be a good addition to the Lakers. Lillard has said that if his team loses for the sake of high draft picks, he would rather not play this season, and he does not have to worry about these problems in the Lakers, the Lakers will never be bad, he can help the Lakers win more games and avoid the dangerous situation of falling into the playoff area.
And if the news that Lillard wants to stay on the West Coast is true, then the Lakers can provide a steady return for the Blazers, who will get a good point guard and some future assets. While Westbrook has been criticized by analysts and Lakers fans all year round, there is a perception that he will do better in a team that suits his style, and that with the Trail Blazers, he will once again be the team's master and surrounded by pitchers like Ben McLemo and Anfine Simmons, who averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists last season with the Washington Wizards. Maybe Westbrook can reinvent his professional image with the Blazers and reconstruct his market value in the process, and once his trading value is improved, then the Blazers may be able to trade him to other teams in exchange for more future assets.
Horton Tucker is a good pitcher and a good defensive player, and he didn't get enough touches on the offensive end like other young players in the Lakers, but that will change with the Blazers. Munch's contract expires after the end of the season, but the Blazers can try to keep him, and Munch has played his career best this season with limited role weight, averaging 13 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while maintaining a 40.9 percent three-point shooting percentage, while the 2027 first-round pick could be valuable because by then, the Lakers should be in a rebuilding period.
Overall, the deal will pay off the Blazers handsomely enough while satisfying Lillard's desire to stay on the West Coast, and the Blazers could do their team a favor by sending him to a team with other stars while rebuilding chips for the present and future savings.