Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson blasted Jim Buss and said that Kobe Bryant should put pressure on their team executives in order to improve the team's playoff chances next season.
Johnson expressed disappointment over the current state of the Lakers, who are currently at the cellar of the Western Conference and are on pace to finish with a losing record for the second straight season.
Johnson took a swipe at Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss for failing to make the necessary moves to improve their roster and for making questionable decisions.
The Hall of Famer blasted Buss in 2012 for his decision to hire Mike D'Antoni as coach instead of 11-time champion coach Phil Jackson, who has helped the Lakers win five championships.
For Johnson, Lakers superstar Bryant should step in and let his voice be heard by threatening team executives that he'd rather end his career instead of playing for another losing team in the 2015-16 NBA season.
"You know, so, look, Kobe, put pressure on Jim to say, 'Look, man, you've got to bring me some talent, some help, so that this can be a great season for the Lakers and a great season for me, being my last season, and then I can retire.'" Johnson said in a Sirius XM/Mad Dog Sports Radio interview via ESPN on Tuesday.
Johnson added that Buss will have a great chance to make improvements in the summer. The Lakers are poised to acquire a top-five pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and will have cap room to sign big-name free agents in the offseason.
The Lakers, who currently holds a 13-38 record that is just good for 14th place in the Western Conference, are reportedly interested in acquiring Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic and Rajon Rondo in the summer.
"If he doesn't have a big summer with a free agent," Johnson added. "It looks like they'll have a good draft pick. Put that together with a good free agent, you can be right back into the mix. If this summer, that doesn't happen where they can sign a great player, it's over for us."
Cleveland Cavaliers Kevin Love, who could also become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, is also being linked to a possible move to Los Angeles because of his ties in the city, having played college basketball at UCLA.
However, Love reiterated earlier this week that he is committed to the Cavaliers organization and played down speculation about a possible move to the Lakers in the near future.
