The Los Angeles Lakers have always insisted on having a “Big Three” lineup of superstars. Dating back to the 1980s, Los Angeles employed James Worthy, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In more recent years, rosters built around LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook have failed, as well as the Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard crew, but the philosophy remains the same.
This year’s squad, which is off to a 9-4 start, doesn’t have a third star around James and Davis. Instead, role players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish have been tasked with supplementing the lineup on both ends of the floor. Clearly, it’s working to some degree, although the Lakers have been linked to several stars in recent NBA trade rumors.
Dating back to his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard has been linked to the Lakers. His Milwaukee Bucks are off to a brutal 4-9 start, despite solid play from both Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Both are high-level players, but their fit simply doesn’t work.
Lillard is averaging 26 points on 34.8% shooting from 3-point range and has added 6.6 assists for good measure. The Lakers have run point guard via a committee of Reaves, Russell and Gabe Vincent, but if they could land Lillard, it would boost their chances heading into the playoffs. Recent mock trades have focused on sending Lillard to Hollywood.
On Monday, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a deal that would send Lillard to the Lakers; Reaves, Russell, Hachimura and a 2029 first-round pick to the Bucks; and Christian Wood and a second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons as a salary dump.
“Depth has been a major issue for Milwaukee, and the Bucks would suddenly be quite deep around their two-time MVP with Reaves, Hachimura and Russell joining Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr. and others,” Swartz wrote.
The Bucks would be able to mix and match rosters based on fit, which is not a luxury they have been able to have. Meanwhile, in James’ twilight years, he would have an elite point guard to facilitate and space the floor, making the Lakers even more deadly.