LOS ANGELES , United States (AFP) — Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has urged the struggling NBA franchise to target LeBron James and Kevin Durant as they attempt to bounce back from the worst season in their history.
The Lakers crashed to a 17-65 losing record this season, the second year in a row they have suffered 60 defeats or more.
Former player and current Golden State Warriors assistant Luke Walton was named as their new head coach on Friday, replacing Byron Scott who was fired on April 24.
Five-time NBA champion Johnson believes the Lakers should attempt to move aggressively in the free agent market to revive their flagging fortunes.
“The first free agent the Lakers should go after is Kevin Durant,” Johnson wrote on Twitter on Monday, referring to the Oklahoma City Thunder star.
“I would love to see Kevin Durant in the Purple & Gold.”
Johnson said the Lakers should also sound out LeBron James over a possible move.
“We know he’s going stay in (Cleveland) but they should go after him just in case he leaves,” Johnson said.
Johnson also believes the Toronto Raptors’ Los Angeles-born guard DeMar DeRozan should be on the Lakers shopping list.
While any move for James would be unlikely to succeed, Durant has been consistently linked to the Lakers in recent months.
The 27-year-old power forward becomes a free agent after the current season, raising the prospect that he may leave Oklahoma City after nearly a decade with the franchise.
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