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The Lakers suffered another defeat on Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets, but the loss had disastrous consequences.
The 111-106 loss meant that they would miss the playoffs as they could now not catch the San Antonio Spurs in eighth place.
Now, the real work for the Lakers begins, especially that of the president of the basketball operations, Magic Johnson, and the general manager, Rob Pelinka.
Throughout the season, many stars could have been directed to Hollywood to join LeBron James, but their acquisitions were mediocre.
JaVale McGee, signed in low season, averaged 11.1 points per game, while Lance Stephenson averaged only 7.2 points per game.
They have been linked to a move by Durant, who is a free agent this summer, but it is highly unlikely that the Golden State Warriors star will join the group.
At the beginning of the year, Durant hit the headlines, implying that star players do not want to play alongside James.
He pointed out that the media attention on LeBron was "toxic" and that the triple NBA champion had too many "fanboys" in the media.
This is the same reason that led to the split between Irving and James in 2017, when both men were teammates at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was reported that Irving wanted to run a team himself and that he wanted to get out of James' shadow. So he left for the Boston Celtics.
What's needed now at the Lakers is a superstar who wants to play alongside James and a person who does not want to attract attention.
This player is Walker, who fired the league for the Charlotte Hornets this season.
The leader has an average of 25 points per game and has been prolific from three points.
Three-point shooting is a thing missing in Los Angeles and Walker has shot 35.4% of the field this season.
The other reason Walker could end up in Los Angeles is the fact that the Hornets star is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Just like Irving and Durant, Walker will be free to talk to potential new teams this summer, and it has been reported that he wanted to compete for a title.
He is perfectly suited as a player with superstar abilities, but it's not someone who will divert James' attention.
The Hornets are also excluded from the playoffs, it is quite possible that Walker wants a new challenge.
If the Lakers want to do something this summer, Walker would be the best bet for the future.
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