LeBron James’ Damian Lillard Comment Resurfaces After Lakers Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Damian Lillard has been a hot topic since the start of free agency after the Milwaukee Bucks waived him. The 34-year-old guard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 58 games last season, but Milwaukee opted to release him as he recovers from the Achilles tear he suffered during the NBA playoffs.
With the Bucks also opting to stretch out the remaining $113 million on his contract, Lillard is now free to sign with any team without potential financial constraints. That means he can sign with a contender for as low as the veteran minimum.
Among the teams that have been reported to be interested in him is the Purple and Gold franchise, with several Lakers fans even urging the team to pursue him.
According to a recent report from Eric Nehm, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Lakers are “among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal sooner rather than later.”
Amid the talks about the Lakers potentially pursuing Lillard, his connection to LeBron James has come into focus as well, thanks to an interview from 2018. In the video, James was asked if he thinks Lillard is “underappreciated.”
“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think so, but he definitely uses that,” James said of Lillard at the time, per NBA.com. “I like how he uses that. If you’re a true basketball [mind] — there’s not a lot of true basketball minds and people that understand the game — but for me, I understand it. I know.
James added, “Give me Damian Lillard. I’ll show you how appreciated he’ll be.”
When LeBron James was asked if Damian Lillard is underappreciated.
Bron replied: “give me Damian Lillard. I’ll show you how appreciated he’ll be.”Come to L.A Dame, you’ll be much appreciated there.
— BolKontent (@ShowbizCommitt1) July 2, 2025
The Lakers have the fourth-best odds to land Damian Lillard at +750, per Odds Shark. They are behind the Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets.
Whoever lands Lillard, however, will have to wait for some time to get him on the court. It’s unknown how long he’ll need to recover from his Achilles injury, and there’s the possibility he could sit out the 2025-26 season.
For the Lakers, a potential deal to land Lillard and have him available late in the season or next campaign would give them a legitimate scoring threat who could pair up well with James and Luka Doncic in their bid for another championship.
Related: ESPN Insider Addresses Trade Move That ‘Doesn’t Make Sense’ for LeBron James
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.