Damian Lillard is one of the most popular topics of discussion around the NBA right now and not only because of his great play but because of the rumors of his desire to leave the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lillard shut down that narrative and claimed that he never said that he wanted to leave. Nonetheless, we’ve heard that before.
That’s why lifelong Lakers fan and hip-hop legend Ice Cube advised him to join the purple-and-gold if he wants to win a ring:
“If he wants a championship, he should come join the Lakers. If he wants to just score a lot of points and be the man, stay in Portland,” Ice Cube told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. “But come win a championship. You deserve it. He’s given a lot of to that city. So give some of that love to the LA Lakers, man.”
Yesterday on Stephen A’s World, @icecube said @Dame_Lillard should join the Lakers! pic.twitter.com/IaQsD6Vvo5
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 10, 2021
Lillard is one of the best players in the game. He’s an unstoppable scorer from all three levels, a true leader, and one of the greatest clutch performers of all time. He, indeed, deserves to play for an NBA Championship.
He’s always been the kind of player who’d rather stay loyal than pursue a ring ‘the easy way’. However, given the direction the Blazers went with their coach search, their inability to surround him with a winning supporting cast, and the fact that he’s clearly become a superstar and outgrown a small market, he could force his way out eventually.
Even so, it would be extremely tricky for the Lakers to lure him to their team. They’re tight in cap space and don’t have many assets that they could offer in return, even if Lillard wants to be traded and wants to join them.
