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Magic Johnson Says Kobe Should Retire If Lakers Don’t Land FA

By Alex Torres

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The Lakers travel to the great North West to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s no secret the Lakers are not very good this season and they are better off losing as many games as possible in order to improve their draft positioning.

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Magic Johnson is a strong supporter of the Lakers tanking, he believes the organization needs a top draft pick to turn their luck around next season. Johnson was very critical of the organization, especially the people at the top. Johnson no longer has stake in the organization, but he believes Jim Buss is the problem.

Magic is expecting an effective off-season during the summer, so the Lakers can be respectable next season. According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, Magic believes Kobe should take a stand and give Buss an ultimatum:

"Later, in an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM/Mad Dog Sports Radio show, Johnson again questioned Buss, although this time he did so while referencing Lakers star Kobe Bryant.“And I really believe this: [Kobe] should … say to Jim and them, ‘Look, if you don’t sign one of these free agents [this offseason], man, I’m just not going to play next year,'” Johnson said.“You almost gotta say that because if you come back with the same level of talent, you’re just going to have the same results,” Johnson said. “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.'”"

Bryant only has one year left in his contract and after all these injuries, it only seems logical that this will be his last. It’s hard for us to admit, but Father Time has caught up with the Black Mamba and even the great Kobe Bryant can’t escape his grasp.

One of the greatest players of all time deserves one last shot at an NBA championship. The Lakers won’t be title favorites next season, but it would be nice to have a playoff team once again. After all that Bryant has done for this franchise, he deserves to go out fighting with a good team.

Magic’s suggestion isn’t farfetched. Kobe has been unable to remain healthy and his these last few years have been a waste of his illustrious career. This team needs to attack free agency ferociously and the salary cap should not be a concern.

Next: Who Should The Lakers Target During Free Agency This Summer?

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