Many Los Angeles Lakers fans are optimistic about the future. Luka Doncic will be back healthy. And General Manager Rob Pelinka plans on creating a roster to complement the newest face of the franchise. Doncic took the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals just a few seasons ago. But that Western Conference, compared to what it has turned into today, is night and day. Purple and Gold legend Magic Johnson loves the Lakers. He is also their biggest supporter and critic on every game night. But he honestly doesn’t see his franchise compete against the two powerhouses that just shook the NBA with one playoff game…

The Oklahoma City Thunder, thanks to the 2019 Paul George trade, became champions last season. They’ve finished as the top seed for three years in a row. This year, though, they found a challenger in the San Antonio Spurs. With three straight lottery picks, they’ve designed a flattering roster around an MVP-caliber Victor Wembanyama. Now, the Spurs held a winning regular-season record against OKC. It is rare these days. And it’s taken double overtime and an out-of-control Wemby, who produced a 40-20 game, to settle Game 1. If that wasn’t shocking enough, the Spurs’ next most important player was a rookie.

And after looking at all that, Johnson has made up his mind about the Lakers. He isn’t just shutting down their hopes of contending, but the hopes of the entire conference. “I hate to break the news to the rest of the Western Conference, but they may not have a chance to win the Western Conference Finals for the next 5-7 years. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are just that good! They are talented, deep, athletic, and both teams are well coached,” the five-time NBA champion wrote on X.

Johnson also witnessed his own record being broken in this game. Registering seven steals, Dylan Harper joined the Lakers legend as the only rookie in NBA history to tally 5+ steals in a Conference Finals game. The Spurs star’s seven snatches also set a new playoff record for the franchise. Johnson, however, wasn’t done with his social media commentary. He launched another post this time praising Wemby’s “incredible show” and explained why it was one for the ages.

“Wembanyama’s performance was so special because he did it from everywhere on the basketball court, including a Steph Curry like 3 pointer down the stretch,” Johnson wrote. The Lakers legend spoke about the jaw-dropping shot Wemby made with around 30 seconds remaining in regulation. OKC was up by 3, and it was clear that someone in a black jersey had to launch a shot from deep. That’s when the Frenchman stepped up like he always has and sank a shot from the border of the OKC logo on the court! Now, why and how does Curry’s shot relate to this?

Ten years ago, the Warriors faced the Thunder in overtime, and Curry launched a deep three from the logo with a defender right in front of him, making it with only 0.6 seconds remaining! Mike Breen’s “double-bang” call became famous, and the shot, which came right in the middle of Curry’s 2015-16 MVP candidacy, went down as one of his all-time best. Like Johnson, these two shots spanning a decade drew praise from the entire fanbase, including Patrick Mahomes!

“Wemby Man…. Unbelievable! 💪🏽,” the Kansas City Chiefs QB wrote. The Spurs’ Keldon Johnson even compared it to a “Call of Duty” kill streak. “If you ever play Call of Duty, and you get a 25 kill streak, it felt like he dropped a nuke down on the court. It was crazy, that was a big time shot,” he said. After the game, Wemby remained calm and stoic, giving straight answers when the media asked him about SGA’s recent MVP award. But when asked what keeps him going, and after playing nearly 50 minutes, the 22-year-old had an answer that reflected ‘class’ all over.

“The relentlessness, it’s built as well, the first thing is physical ability, getting stronger as the years go on, and the mental toughness, you have to have it all the time,” Wemby said. “And as he said, yes, it takes a toll, but we will rest in July.” Looking at the bigger picture, Wemby is not just powering his team through uncharted territory in this season’s playoffs; he is actually setting an example of what’s to come for San Antonio over the next decade. And Magic Johnson predicting that the Lakers have no chance to compete in the West is no surprise. Here’s how that’s justified.

The Spurs are actually in the same place as when the Thunder began assembling their winning chips. Wemby is eligible for an extension. However, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, both bright stars, will stay on their rookie-scale contracts for a few more seasons. In that time, San Antonio can pay the likes of 6MOTY Keldon Johnson and even use De’Aaron Fox’s contract to free up their books in the future.

On the other hand, this is OKC’s final year of being a cheap team. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren’s massive extensions begin next season. And one year after that, Shai Gilegeous-Alexander begins his $285 million cycle. So don’t expect the Thunder to be as star-studded for multiple years, especially with the same names. But it’s their program’s success at developing talent that might extend their winning window. Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain will together cost less than ten million next season. If not for depth, the Thunder would have flexibility, as they are high-value rotation players who could fetch a tempting offer.

Competing against such well-set systems is going to be a problem for the West, especially the Lakers. And it’s going to go on for a long time…

The Lakers’ restricted free agent roadblock

The Lakers are a legacy franchise. Players have openly expressed a desire to move to the Purple and Gold. LeBron James was probably the last of them. Luka Doncic never wanted to come, but he is finally embracing the culture. The Slovenian initially was and will remain the LA foundation, with the Lakers wanting to surround him with dynamic wings and athletic centers. The only problem? There aren’t many free agents who could fill those roles.

To make some decisive additions, LA will hope to lure some restricted free agents. According to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney, the market is going to create a cluster for the Lakers only for them to lose it all. Those options primarily include the Pistons’ Jalen Duren, Jazz center Walker Kessler, and Nuggets forward Peyton Watson.

Money wouldn’t be the problem. With LeBron James’ massive salary off the books, Pelinka has the flexibility to offer a tempting opportunity. But under restricted free agency, the parent team can match the offer and retain its player. Unless the Lakers go all-in and offer an exorbitant sum, most of these teams won’t cave. Hence, the path to competing against the Thunder and Spurs rests on Pelinka’s negotiation skills and luck.