To put it bluntly, the Los Angeles Lakers are a mediocre team. They are slightly above average, so they are at least on the right side of the spectrum. However, with 55 games left in the regular season, they have shown significant weaknesses.

However, there has never been a team without mistakes. Even the Golden State Warriors, who won an NBA-record 73 games in a season in 2015-16 before losing to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. While many of the criticisms of the Lakers are valid, the concerns may be a bit overblown.

With that in mind, there are those who believe LA needs to make a major change rather than trying to patch each of its holes one at a time. During the offseason, it was thought that replacing former head coach Darvin Ham was the right answer. Still, JJ Redick – the Lakers’ new play-caller – has a worse record in 27 games than Ham in the 2023-24 season.

Lakers champion Magic Johnson calls the team’s biggest need

During a recent appearance with SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Justin Termine and Eddie A. Johnson, Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson discussed what he thinks the Lakers are missing this season.

The five-time NBA champion tells Termine and Johnson that LA needs “another player.”

“We (Lakers) need another player if they want to compete in the West”

Lakers legend Magic Johnson shares @TermineRadio And @JumpShot8 what he believes LA needs to compete for a title. pic.twitter.com/9jNZ5SSOX5

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 19, 2024

“… A guy who can consistently get (the Lakers) 20 points.”

Entering the 2024-25 season, fourth-year guard Austin Reaves was expected to be the team’s third option. D’Angelo Russell, the No. 2 pick in 2015, was hoping for a strong season. However, both played below star standards.

Reaves is averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting a career-low 43.7 percent from the field. He has scored 20 or more points in just six of the 22 games he has played and has never had a game with more than 30 points. Russell, who lost his starting job early in the season, is averaging a career-low 12.5 points per game. His field goal percentage (.413) and three-point percentage (.333) are among the worst of his career.

This leads to the reality that the Lakers need to make a blockbuster trade. Until then, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young and Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine are the stars usually associated with Los Angeles. Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, who was part of the Lakers’ last title team, and Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton are two other scorers the team is reportedly interested in.

Who will they act for?

Russell, who is only 28 years old, is by no means untouchable in trade talks. However, his poor play makes him an unattractive option for several teams. In fact, it may have been because LA’s attempts to trade Dejounte Murray last season failed.

The 26-year-old Reaves is almost untouchable in trade talks. This is probably because the Lakers leadership views him as a star player. Still, the Arkansas native will turn 30 in 29 months, which brings his potential into question.

Ultimately, if LA wanted to make a trade for a player of Young’s caliber, the attempt to keep Reaves might not come through. LaVine, Kuzma and Sexton aren’t at Young’s level, but that makes them significantly cheaper options. A win-win scenario for the Lakers would be to sign one player from that trio, keep Reaves (and Rui Hachimura), and move Russell.

That makes Kuzma and Sexton the most viable of their potential trade acquisitions.