Magic Johnson shares details on his plan to make Lakers great again

If Jim Buss actually spoke publicly and was asked about his current plan for the Los Angeles Lakers’ (albeit lengthy) rebuild, one would imagine it would be centered on drafting well, developing those players they’ve drafted and asset acquisition. Seems straightforward enough.

Now, whom the Lakers have drafted, signed or traded for is obviously up for debate, but the actual process they’ve put into trying to elevate the franchise is pretty hard to argue against.

Still, the Lakers find themselves heading towards yet another stressful lottery night and another offseason in which they’ll have to try to convince whoever they’re trying to sign that the franchise is just a couple moves away from legitimate contention. Sound familiar?

Jeanie Buss took all these things into consideration when she made the decision to bring Magic Johnson back into the fold, and Magic has put some thought into the process he would take to make the Lakers great again. Here’s what he had to say to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Wednesday morning.

First of all, we have to develop our own players. That’s number one. Number two: We’re going to have to draft well. And number three: You just made the point, you know, we’re all — not just the Lakers — but every team is looking for that franchise-changing player.

Develop players: Check.

Draft well: Check.

Acquire a superstar: So THAT’S where Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak have flubbed the process. It all makes sense now.

Magic might have more context to work with when he finally meets with Jim and Mitch next week, but as of now, if this is really the grand change he envisions, there’s plenty left to be desired. Now, it’s worth pointing out that Johnson mentioned how far behind the times the Lakers currently are, but how he knows such things without inside knowledge of the situation seems worth wondering about.

It remains to be seen what might come of Magic’s meeting with Jim and Mitch, but it isn’t a great look that Magic would bash the Lakers publicly as a member of the organization without actual knowledge of the situation. Hopefully, that all changes soon.