L.A. Lakers Rumors: Can Magic Johnson Convince Kevin Durant, LeBron James To Join Lakers?


L.A. Lakers rumors have linked Kevin Durant to the team for a while now. Fresh Lakers rumors are being created by Earvin Magic Johnson, who has taken to social media to speak his mind about Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Johnson put up several posts on Twitter on Monday, May 2, about how he thinks the Lakers should approach the NBA offseason.

Kevin Durant is a free agent this NBA offseason, meaning he could leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with a franchise of his choosing. There have been a number of NBA rumors about what Durant might do, especially if OKC fails to win a championship. When the San Antonio Spurs beat OKC 124-92 in Game 1 of a semifinal series, it once again raised questions about whether Durant wants to remain in town or chase a title with another contender.

Durant isn’t the only player that Magic Johnson is talking about on social media, as he is also chatting about LeBron James. James can opt out of his current contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and enter into free agency again. While there has been no real indication that he wants to leave Cleveland a second time, it is expected that he will at least opt out in order to sign a new long-term contract. Enter the latest L.A. Lakers rumors, as it presents a window for another team to offer a deal.

With the Kobe Bryant contract finally coming off the books in Los Angeles, the franchise will have a lot of money to spend in free agency. The Lakers have only about $23 million in committed salaries for the 2016-17 NBA season, giving the team enough salary cap space to offer two max contracts during free agency. Moving the contracts of Nick Young and Lou Williams could give the front office even more room to work with. Money won’t be an issue, so it comes down to the team offering something else in order to lure some of the biggest names in the NBA.

Adding either Kevin Durant or LeBron James would be huge for the franchise, in turn creating more L.A. Lakers rumors about which players would want to join them in California. Signing a name like Durant would instantly make the Lakers a team that could court other names in free agency. Adding two big names to a team that will likely have a high lottery pick and several young players could definitely turn the Lakers into a contender again. There are a lot of “ifs” in the situation, though, which is why Magic Johnson has taken the torch to social media.

Lakers Celebrate Kobe
[Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images]
Can Johnson help the Lakers lure big names to Los Angeles? It would take a lot to pry Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder or LeBron James away from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lakers fans that want to see this happen would have to start rooting against OKC and Cleveland, as postseason performance of those respective teams will directly impact the decisions that James and Durant make during the NBA offseason. Would one of them help elevate a roster of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance Jr. to a title? Could Pau Gasol follow them to L.A.?

[Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images]

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