[6][7][8][5] During the off-season, the team acquired Sam Bowie from the New Jersey Nets,[9][10][11] and re-signed free agent and former Lakers forward Kurt Rambis.
[12][13] The Lakers continued to struggle as they lost 9 of their first 12 games, and held a 18–29 record at the All-Star break.
[14] Head coach Randy Pfund was fired after a 27–37 start, and was replaced with interim Bill Bertka for the next two games.
[15][16] With the team out of playoff position and struggling in March, they decided to bring former Laker and retired All-Star guard Magic Johnson back as their new coach.
However, they lost their final ten games of the season and finished fifth in the Pacific Division with a 33–49 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1975–76.