NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard 'Interested' In Move To Lakers Or Knicks

While Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is happy where he is right now, he is willing to leave for the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks if no players are brought in to improve the team, according to ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith.

Lillard, whose contract runs until 2021, is one of the best guards in the league right now, having helped Portland finish as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season, though they did get swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs.

However, the 27-year-old caused a stir earlier this week when he replied to a tweet asking whether he would be happy to be traded to the Lakers to play alongside new signing LeBron James.

Although he would later retweet a pro-Blazer post from a fan on Thursday night, speculation increased heavily about the possibility of Lillard potentially teaming up with James. A few days earlier, Lillard notably tweeted his disappointment after former teammate Ed Davis, who became a free agent, reportedly joined the Brooklyn Nets on a one-year deal.

According to Smith, Lillard is happy in Portland as he is the star and is doing well for himself financially when it comes to his contract and endorsements.

However, he also wants to compete for a championship and believes he can do that with the Lakers or the Knicks, particularly when both sides can acquire high-profile signings during next year's free agency.

"Even as the number three team they are clearly not an elite team that’s going to make any noise in the postseason," Smith said on his radio show, as per BlazersEdge. "Portland recognizes this, and as a result, you have people in Damian Lillard’s camp and on his side looking for him to leave. And he is open to leaving, even though he loves being in Portland."

"And if Damian Lillard is going to leave the comfortable and financially beneficial confines of Portland, it’s only for two places from what I’m being told. He’s only interested in New York or LA. One of the two. New York or LA, and by LA, I mean the Lakers, not the Clippers. That’s what Damian Lillard wants. His preference would be for the Portland Trail Blazers to find somebody, somebody big time to join him and CJ McCollum in Portland. That’s Damian Lillard’s preference. But if they can’t improve the team and if they can’t find anybody, then he’s interested in going one of two places: my sources tell me it’s the Lakers or the Knicks."

Lillard averaged 26.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game during the regular season and would be a huge boost to both sides. At the Lakers, he'd be teaming up with James and the duo could attract even more players to join next year.

At the Knicks, with New York being a huge market, he could help do the same teaming up with current star Kristaps Porzingis as the New York franchise look to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.