Lakers: LeBron James Reportedly Recruited Damian Lillard, Will Russell Westbrook Opt Out?
The 2020-'21 Lakers were fully expected to make another deep playoff run before injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis derailed their chances of winning back-to-back titles.
After being eliminated in the first round for the first time in 14 playoff appearances, LeBron James spent the early offseason focused on helping the Lakers upgrade their roster. With the Lakers looking to keep their championship window open in the LeBron James, Anthony Davis era, the Purple and Gold were on the hunt for a veteran point guard with LA rumored to be targeting stars like Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook.
LA's top choice was Lillard and as NBA Insider Chris Haynes detailed in a story for Yahoo Sports, LeBron James and Anthony Davis met with Dame following the Blazers and Lakers' early playoff exits.
"'Bron asked what I was thinking with my situation, and I told him what I'm telling you: that I just want to be in a position to win it all," Lillard said. "He painted the picture to me that if I were to leave, the situation could look like this. He didn't tell me to come to L.A., and he didn't say anything to me that I didn't already know other than what it could look like. I told him, 'I know if I were to play with y'all, I know it would work out because of my skill set,' and who I am and who they are."
The Lakers ultimately swung a trade for Russell Westbrook after sending the Washington Wizards Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson along with three future second-round draft picks. We discuss if LeBron James and Anthony Davis were outright recruiting Damian Lillard and how at the end of the day the Lakers didn't have the requisite assets to get a deal done for the 6-time All-Star.
Plus, will Russell Westbrook opt out of his $47.1 million contract next year and could they use him to pull off a sign-and-trade for Lillard or another star next summer?
WATCH
Have you subscribed to the Lakers 24/8 YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest LakeShow news, rumors, live streams, and more!
