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Lakers Have Magic, Now Need Superstar

By Stephen Forsha
Published on: 16:01 PST, Feb 4, 2017

The NBA trade rumors keep swirling with the Los Angeles Lakers back in trade talks involving Jose Calderon, but there are more important aspects of the Lakers franchise and their roster that need some help for future seasons to come.

The Lakers made an excellent move earlier this week that will eventually affect their roster in some way, shape or form with the return of Magic Johnson to the franchise. What better free agent recruiter could the Lakers bring to their franchise than possibly the greatest Lakers player of all-time in Johnson?

Bringing back Magic might not have instant reactions in terms of drawing the big names back to the Lakers. The NBA Hall of Famer said the Lakers needed “one guy to make everybody better” from being a contender in the Western Conference.

Being an ownership adviser for the Lakers, Johnson was quoted by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press as to how he wants to help make the Lakers great once again.

“I will do everything in my power to help return the Lakers to their rightful place among the elite teams of the NBA.”

Will that include being able to draw a superstar back to the Lakers this offseason? Some NBA players who will become free agents include Blake Griffin and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors, Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzles, Nerlens Noel of the Philadelphia 76ers, and others.

This is an interesting time for Lakers fans, as the ’80s “Showtime” team or the 2000s team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant aren’t walking through that door right now, but can this franchise reach that point of greatness once again with the addition of a player or two in the foreseeable future?

For the Lakers to do that, welcoming back Magic is an excellent start because all fans and players should respect what he has to say, about not only the Lakers, but the NBA itself. Also, the Lakers, though it doesn’t show in the standings, have the start of something with great potential in future seasons.

The Lakers have the likes of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram to build around, and with all of them in their early 20s, there is so much room for growth and potential that it is very scary to think about what this trio could become with the addition of a seasoned NBA superstar player in the prime of their career.

The Lakers could sign Griffin to their roster this offseason, or even trade for him, as he’s also been a part of some NBA trade rumors to the Lakers this season. Joe Giglio of NJ.com also had the same thought in a recent trade article about a possible addition of Griffin to the Lakers.

“Some of the Lakers’ trade-deadline strategy could be tied to opening up cap room for a run at Griffin in free agency this coming summer.”

If Griffin were to join the Lakers this offseason, when healthy, he’s the superstar player the franchise needs, plus he’s already well-known in Los Angeles being a member of the Clippers for his entire career. This would be a move if made by the Lakers that would be an ideal fit for the franchise, and even if some tough roster changes were to be made to make it happen, it would be well worth it.

The Lakers are in need of adding a superstar to their franchise to help their young roster grow, and if Johnson is the catalyst to start this process, adding him as a adviser to the Lakers franchise could be better than any move that has been mentioned thus far in any of the NBA trade rumor talk this season.

[Featured Image by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images]

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