With Magic Johnson now officially back in the fold as an advisor to team president Jeanie Buss, the rumors are starting to swirl about potential changes on the horizon for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The fate of Jim Buss has been the main topic of discussion since the announcement of Magic’s return and general manager Mitch Kupchak might also be on a shaky ground moving forward.
According to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, Johnson is open to the idea of bringing in a new general manager:
Anyone around the NBA interested in filling that basketball operations post should start polishing the resume, even though Johnson has been close with Kupchak for a long time. Johnson is said to have an open mind about dismissing Kupchak to usher in a new era, according to sources.
Of course, Johnson, at least at this point, is only an advisor. The five-time NBA champion won’t be the one making the final decision as that is up to Jeanie, but if Magic is as influential as he now appears to be, Kupchak could be on his way out.
With two months left in the 2016-17 NBA season, it’ll be interesting to see how things start to develop with Magic now voicing his opinion within the organization. Sweeping changes could be a very realistic possibility as Jeanie may have simply had enough and is ready to start fresh with Johnson helping provide support and guidance along the way.
In the meantime, Luke Walton and company will continue to try to get this struggling team headed in the right direction. The Lakers have matched last season’s win total at 17 with 30 games left to be played as they face the rival Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden.
