Will the Cavs pursue Damian Lillard in the offseason?

Should the Cleveland Cavaliers trade the Brooklyn Nets pick for Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard?

Looking at what Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard has been able to accomplish in the NBA since dominating the courts at Weber State University, that should be a no-brainer. Of course the Cleveland Cavaliers should trade the Brooklyn Nets pick for Lillard.

For one, Lillard is already one of the most sensational players in the NBA. He’s been one of the most successful talents in the league since being drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Secondly, no matter what the projections say or what NBA comparisons an NBA draft prospect may earn, there’s no exact science to the draft. There’s no way of knowing who will “boom” or “bust” in the lottery.

The Cavaliers, who have selected LeBron James (2003), Kyrie Irving (2011), Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014) with the first overall picks should know that more than anyone. They’ve also selected Tristan Thompson (4th overall pick in 2011) and Dion Waiters (4th overall pick in 2012) in the top-five in recent years.

Out of those six players, only James and Irving lived up to their draft hype. Only two players are still on the team (James, Thompson) and just one of those players was drafted this decade.

It’s not an issue exclusive to the Cavs though, which highlights the issue in placing all your eggs into the draft lottery basket.

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Names like Derrick Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson, Alex Len, Marcus Smart, Mario Hezonja, Dragan Bender and Frank Ntilikina sound familiar?

All were selected in the lottery (picks 1-13 in the NBA Draft) and none have panned out as planned.

So when people talk about Luka Doncic, DeAndre Ayton, Collin Sexton and other top draft prospects, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Those players certainly should have long and fruitful careers but there’s no telling what will actually happen.

For the Cavaliers, who will have to hope their draft night moves help convince LeBron to re-sign with a team that’s had more chaos than chemistry, banking on that pick to be successful beside James is a real gamble. In the twilight of his career, James’ two NBA-related focuses are winning championships and playing with his eldest son. In terms of what he can control, James will play as long as he can but want to be on a team capable of winning it all when he does it.

The Cavaliers have yet to be healthy enough to gauge their potential when 5-time All-Star Kevin Love is on the court and any team with James will be in the championship conversation.

However, James will be nearing 34-years-old and would be best served by playing for a team with All-Star talent, youth, great coaching, a reputable front office and a winning culture so that he can extend both his career and his dominance while making a run at championships night-in and night-out.

As far as marking off those checkboxes goes, only the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs can provide all of these things for LeBron.

The Philadelphia 76ers have everything but a winning culture and reputable front office. The Cavaliers have everything except great coaching and a reputable front office.

That said, the Rockets are the low-hanging fruit for James if he places winning championships at the top of his wishlist. The Lakers will be too, if they sign Paul George away from the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer.

That is, unless the Cavaliers make a splash and trade for a player like Lillard.

Lillard is averaging 26.8 points, 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line this season. The same Lillard who averages 23.0 points, 6.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game for his career while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three and 88.2 percent from three-point range.

Lillard, a fearless competitor with unlimited shooting range, a great shooting stroke and the ability to get into the paint with ease, would be a definite offensive upgrade in the Cavaliers’ backcourt.

With a salary of $24 million, the Cavaliers would likely try to move some two-player combination of Thompson (who will make $17.5 million next season), George Hill (who will make $19 million next season), J.R. Smith (who will make $14.7 million next season) and Jordan Clarkson (who will make $12.5 million next season).

It almost doesn’t matter what duo they choose because after that trade, the Cavaliers will be as talented as any team in the league with a Big Three of LeBron, Love and Lillard.

Team “Take These L’s.”

The Cavaliers also have the advantage of being the home team for James, a native of Akron, Ohio. Akron and Cleveland are only separated by a 35-mile distance.

While James could still walk away, he’s become beloved in the league and The Land after his return. Though he says he doesn’t care what the outside world thinks of him at this stage of his career, we’re all human and social creatures that desire acceptance. That’s especially true when it comes to the people we share an intimate connection with.

James, who has helped fund a $41 million scholarship at the University of Akron, is building a public school in Akron, established the Akron-based LeBron James Family Foundation and is “just a kid from Akron”, has an intimate bond with the people of Northeast Ohio and especially his hometown.

It showed when he left. It showed when he came back. It showed when he won his last championship.

If there’s anything that can trump organizational dysfunction (which the Cavaliers have reined in since the All-Star Break), its undying loyalty to the place where you play. It’s no guarantee but if Northeast Ohio didn’t matter that much James would have never returned in 2014 and it would be a foregone conclusion that James would leave in free agency this summer.

Swaying James’ opinion could come in the form of a trade for Lillard. A point guard he calls a “superstar” and is certainly fond of.

Lillard is under contract through the 2020-2021 season.

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*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com