Blazers' Robert Williams Being 'Aggressively' Pursued by West Rival: Report

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is only a few days away, and we witnessed one of the biggest and certainly the most shocking trades in the sport.

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NBA All-Star and international phenom Luka Dončić has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.

The Lakers and Mavericks swapped superstars, and the entire sports world was stunned by the news.

While that is the case, the Portland Trail Blazers still have a ton of work to do to make massive changes to their roster. Although the Blazers have played spectacular basketball lately, the goal is to build for the future.

One of their highly coveted players remains Robert Williams III. The Blazers could include him in a deal by Thursday.

With the Lakers now in desperate need of a big, they are one team that is reportedly 'aggressively' pursuing Williams. NBA insider for Forbes Evan Sidery shared via X.

The Lakers are aggressively pursuing athletic rim protecting centers on the trade market.

Nic Claxton and Robert Williams are two players to keep a very close eye on over the next few days. pic.twitter.com/egjTczdcBF
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 2, 2025

"The Lakers are aggressively pursuing athletic rim-protecting centers on the trade market. Nic Claxton and Robert Williams are two players to keep a very close eye on over the next few days," posted Sidery.

Williams has been a name on many teams' radars, especially the Lakers.

Williams is a valuable asset and could help many teams that are looking for a strong, physical big who can protect the paint with the best of them.

That's the bright side of Williams; the downside is his extensive injury history. Williams has missed a lot of time due to injuries and has not played much in his time in Portland.

Out of 131 games so far in Portland, Williams has only played in 23 of those games, which comes out of 17 percent.

Your best ability is your availability, and although teams are high on him, there is a risk factor in possibly acquiring him.

Williams' best and most available season came in the 2021-22 season with the Boston Celtics. He played in 61 games that season and averaged a career-high in points (10.0) and blocks (2.2). He also finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting and Second-team All-Defense.

As we get closer to Thursday, expect the Lakers to be in talks with Portland as they look to go after one of the many players the Blazers have on their trade block, especially Williams.

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