8. Magic’s Lakers
It became readily apparent that once Magic Johnson took over the Lakers’ front office, he was going to be changing things up a bit. On his first day as the team’s president, Johnson traded super sub Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for a first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. It was a small move, but could very well set into motion what we should expect from Los Angeles during the summer.
The Lakers finished with a 26-56 record, as second-year player D’Angelo Russell failed to take that next step manning the point guard position. In fact, he was relegated to bench duties by first-year head coach Luke Walton for a little over a week later in the season. It remains to be seen whether Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka view Russell as the point guard of the future — something he seems awfully touchy about right now. That’s only made a bit more questionable with the presence of three top-end point guards at the top of the 2017 NBA Draft.
What we do know is that Los Angeles is high on fellow youngsters Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle. Both could help lead the rebuild in Southern California. Add in the second overall pick, and there’s something to look forward to when it comes to the Lakers.
The lingering question here is whether Johnson will look to make that big move during the summer. We’ve all ready reports about Paul George wanting to come home, but he’s a free agent and could be had for free next summer. Either way, another disappointing season in Los Angeles has now given in to hope and optimism for the fledgling franchise. That’s not a bad thing.