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The LA Lakers were among the NBA’s most active teams this offseason and it looks like their new-look roster has won over Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Johnson was asked how good LA can be next season. Johnson said that, with their added depth, he can now envision the Lakers winning the 2024 NBA title, barring any injuries:
“This is a Western Conference championship team. We could actually win everything if we can stay healthy. This team has a real shot.
“We got three guys — LeBron, AD and D’Angelo — to keep healthy. But with this team, it allows them to take longer breaks because we got guys that can put it in the basket.”
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LA’s offseason additions include point guard Gabe Vincent, wings Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish and big man Jaxson Hayes. The Lakers also lost a few rotation-caliber players in point guard Dennis Schroder, shooting guards Lonnie Walker IV and Malik Beasley and center Mo Bamba.
However, most fans and analysts agree that overall, the Lakers still improved their roster, which was able to make the Western Conference finals last season.
Despite his optimism, Johnson later cautioned that it won’t be easy for LA to win next year's championship given the steep competition in the West. He added that the defending champion Denver Nuggets should still be considered the 2024 title favorites:
“Listen, it’s not going to be easy for nobody in the West.
“It’s not going to be easy for Denver to repeat, even though you always got to pick the champion as the favorite right now, and I do. But the Lakers, Memphis with the trades they made, Phoenix and Golden State, and Sacramento and Denver, man, the West is going to be hard.”
Magic Johnson says Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had the best offseason of any GM
During his interview with the LA Times, Magic Johnson was also asked how he thought LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka fared this offseason. Johnson said that Pelinka once again impressed following his successful trade deadline moves, which helped LA sneak into the playoffs.
The Hall of Famer even went as far as to say that Pelinka had the best offseason of any GM. Johnson added that he thinks this will lead Pelinka to take home his first Executive of the Year award next season:
“I think he followed it up with another outstanding job, first from the trade deadline and then he kept it going in the summer.
“He did better than anybody in the summer. All the moves he made, he was the No. 1 GM in the NBA this offseason. No question about it. All the guys that we signed will help LeBron and the other guys because now we are deeper. Rob is going to be Executive of the Year.”
