The Lakers suffered yet another defeat on Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets, but this loss had dire consequences.
The 111-106 defeat meant that they will miss out on the playoffs, as they now cannot catch the San Antonio Spurs in eighth place.
Now, the real work for the Lakers starts, specifically, that of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka.
Throughout the entire season there have been numerous reports of stars who could be headed to Hollywood to link up with LeBron James, but their actual acquisitions have been poor.
JaVale McGee, signed last offseason, has averaged just 11.1 points per game, while Lance Stephenson has averaged just 7.2 points per game.
They have been linked with a move for Durant, who is a free agent this summer, but the Golden State Warriors star is highly unlikely to join.
Earlier this year, Durant made headlines for suggesting that star players do not want to play alongside James.
He highlighted the media attention surrounding LeBron is “toxic”, and that the three-time NBA Champion has too many “fanboys” in the media.
That was the same reported reason for Irving’s split with James in 2017, when the pair were team-mates at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was reported that Irving wanted to lead a team on his own, and waned to get out of James’ shadow, therefore he left for the Boston Celtics.
What the Lakers need now is a superstar who wants to play alongside James, and someone who will not hog the limelight.
That player is Walker, who has set the league alight for the Charlotte Hornets this season.
The point guard is averaging 25 points per game, and has been prolific from three-point range.
Three-point shooting is something that Los Angeles have lacked and Walker has shot 35.4 per-cent from 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.
Much like Irving and Durant, Walker will be free to talk to new potential teams this summer, and it has been reported that he wants to compete for a title.
He fits the mould in terms of being a player with superstar ability, but is not someone who will take any attention away from James.
With the Hornets also out of playoff contention, it is entirely possible that Walker will want a new challenge.
If the Lakers are going to make any moves this summer, Walker would be the best bet going forward.