Ice Cube to Damian Lillard: ‘you should come join the Lakers’ if he wants a ring originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
Since the Blazers’ 2020-’21 season ended in six games to the Nuggets, “change” has been the word circulating around the team.
Whether it’s with the coaching staff or with the roster. The team would regularly make the playoffs only to lose in the first-round. Mixing things up seemed needed.
One change that’s been a constant through the offseason is the possibility of Damian Lillard being traded.
The six-time All-Star hasn’t requested a trade, but because of him only getting older and his team not making big improvements, it’s viewed as a player of his caliber should be spending his best years on legitimate title contenders.
Appearing on Stephen A. Smith’s show, rapper and entrepreneur Ice Cube made his pitch as to why Lillard should join the Lakers.
“If you want a championship, you should come join the Lakers,” said Cube. “If you want to just score a lot of points and be the man, stay in Portland. But come win a championship. You deserve it. He’s given a lot to that city. So give some of that love to the L.A. Lakers.”
Acquiring a player of Lillard’s magnitude would take a lot. He’ll be entering the first-year of a 4-year, $176 million contract that’ll pay him over $40 million in the last three seasons.
It’s hard to imagine what the Lakers could offer with limited young players and picks after dealing most of that away to acquire Anthony Davis. Unless there’s a multi-team trade, but either way, the Blazers would have to do what’s also in the best interest of themselves.
Lillard on a Lakers team would give them a next-level scorer with the ability to create for others that the team desperately needs outside of LeBron James.