With the Los Angeles Lakers' chances of reaching the NBA playoffs growing slimmer by the loss, fans are left wondering what could have been, if not for a whole lot of “what-ifs?” Magic Johnson is among those envisioning an alternate reality in which the Lakers had a different offseason approach, and he had a fiery take regarding where the Lakers would be if they hadn't traded for Russell Westbrook. Speaking on ESPN's Get Up, Johnson claimed that if the Lakers had landed Buddy Hield and DeMar DeRozan instead of Westbrook, they'd be cruising towards a Western Conference championship.

“… but if you sign [DeMar] DeRozan and only trade [Kyle] Kuzma for Buddy Hield, [the Lakers] would be playing in the Western Conference Championship this year, with those two guys,” said Johnson on Monday.

Johnson is a firm believer that had the Lakers played their cards right this offseason, they'd be among the best teams in basketball. Instead, the acquisition of Westbrook has left the team without depth or defensive prowess. Magic feels that had the Lakers decided to pursue Hield and DeRozan, they'd have been vastly better off.

Of course, that's not what happened for the Lakers this offseason. The tandem of Anthony Davis and LeBron James reportedly swayed Rob Pelinka and Co. to pursue a trade for Westbrook, a move that has not paid dividends for the team.

Acquiring both Hield and DeRozan would have been far more difficult for the Lakers to pull off than Johnson is letting on here, and would have taken some serious maneuvering from the team. The Lakers would be doling out $135.5 million to James, Davis, Hield, and DeRozan, leaving only minimum contracts for the remaining roster spots. Still, it's difficult not to imagine what the core could have accomplished in 2021-22.