The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers are currently battling it out in the first round of the playoffs.
Before the Lakers obtained big man Anthony Davis last summer, they reportedly looked into acquiring Trail Blazers phenom Damian Lillard in order to pair him up with four-time MVP LeBron James.
“A source with knowledge of Lillard’s situation said there was Lakers interest in a superstar pairing with Lillard and LeBron James before the Davis deal went down in June 2019,” Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote.
Lillard, 30, ended up signing a massive four-year, $196 million supermax extension with the Blazers in June.
The point guard went on to have career campaign this past season. He put up a career-high 30.0 points on 40.1 percent shooting from distance and 8.0 assists per game in the regular season.
As for the Lakers, they landed Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in a major deal last summer. In the trade, the Lakers had to part ways with several young stars and loads of future draft compensation.
However, the heavy shipment has proven to be completely worth it.
Davis helped the Lakers capture the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this season. He collected 26.1 points, 9.3 boards, 3.2 assists and 2.3 blocks per contest in the regular season.
The Lakers are aiming to win a championship this year behind the star power of Davis and James. They hold a 3-1 lead over the Blazers in the first round.
The Lakers will look to close the series out with Lillard out of attendance on Wednesday.
