3 reasons why the Lakers probably probably won’t trade for Damian Lillard

2. Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope aren’t enough

Since the Lakers have a top-heavy roster, they have limited assets to offer the Blazers. Basically, they’d have to make do with using Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a starting point for any trade from a salary standpoint.

Simply put, Portland would laugh that kind of offer out the door.

If Lillard does put in a trade request, the Trail Blazers will be fielding calls from all over the league with great young players on the board. You couldn’t blame Portland for not even taking the Lakers’ call. Kuzma and KCP don’t match up to what the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics or a host of other teams could include in their proposals.  Kuzma averaged 12.9 points per game this year. Caldwell-Pope averaged 9.7 per game.

That’s not to say Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope aren’t good players. They helped LA win a championship. They have value. But this kind of trade requires superstar value with blue-chip prospects or established stars, and they aren’t that.

It’s not surprising the Lakers don’t have much more to bring to the table. They just traded the farm to get Anthony Davis.

The rich can’t always get richer.