Magic Johnson Thinks Lakers Need to Make Trade to Bring ‘New Life’ to Team

If it's not one Lakers legend thinking the team needs to get better, it's another. First it was Jerry West, and now, it's Magic Johnson.

Johnson recently weighed in on the team's struggles of late, particularly the struggles the Lakers have had against the league's elite teams, like the Celtics and Heat. He even went as far as to say the team needs to find some sort of deal to make if they want to validate any shot at a three-peat.

"I think we have to," Johnson told ESPN.com in regards to the prospects of general manager Mitch Kupchak making a deal. "We have to do something. The Lakers are not responding and two things showed me that — the Miami Heat Christmas game and then the Boston Celtics game [on Sunday]. When you don't get up for your two biggest games during the season and you have flat performances, then you have to start looking at trade possibilities to improve the team and bring some energy to the team and bring some new life to the team."

West, the successful former Laker and GM, recently said that the team's age would start to catch up to them if it hadn't already, and Johnson seemed to agree with that notion.

"Unfortunately we're looking old and we're playing old," Johnson said, according to ESPN. "We're not responding to the more athletic teams and the quicker teams. So we must change something. I think we have to now look at this team and maybe say we're not good enough. Things might have to change."

Despite the collective thoughts of the greats of Lakers past, Los Angeles still owns a Pacific Division-leading 33-15 record, good for second in the Western Conference.