Lakers News: Rob Pelinka, Magic Johnson Hopeful LA Can 'Add a Superstar or 2'

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told The Dan Patrick Show (h/t Silver Screen and Roll) Thursday the Purple and Gold made forward-thinking moves this summer so they could be in position to land players who will command max salaries next July. 

"And then the final plan, Magic and I did a trade to allow us to have double-max cap room a July from now, so with our platform we're really hopeful that we can add maybe a superstar or two to this young core and have the best of both worlds," Pelinka said, referring to the deal that sent D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets.  

The obvious names that come to mind when Pelinka refers to "a superstar or two" are Paul George and LeBron James. 

USA Today's Sam Amick previously reported George was "hell-bent" on linking up with his hometown team in the summer of 2018, while ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman) disclosed in June that buzz was circulating about LeBron possibly bolting for Hollywood when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Before those two hit the market, the Lakers will have to prove they can make strides during the 2017-18 campaign and make Staples Center an attractive landing spot to players like George and James despite the Western Conference's current glut of contenders. 

In the short term, that means further developing a core that features No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and 2016 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram. 

And as Pelinka sees it, the Lakers haven't even scratched the surface of their potential yet. 

"It's kind of like if you go on YouTube and you think about Taylor Swift when she was 16 years old, maybe putting her first song," he told Patrick, per Silver Screen and Roll's Drew Garrison. "It's her guitar, it's her, it's in a little studio, and you watch it and you listen to it and you say 'wow, this is going to be a special thing to follow and a really cool narrative to unfold.'"

It likely won't be a smooth year for the Lakers as their young guns continue to find their footing, but all eyes will be on how they handle their evolving rebuild with the prospect of huge signings looming in a year's time.