The Los Angeles Lakers have had a rocky 2018-19 season. The Lakers sit at 37-44 and everyone knows change of some sort is on the horizon. The change, however, came sooner as expected on Tuesday. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the Lakers President of Basketball Operations, decided to step down, which surprised everyone.
According to ESPN’s Senior Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Johnson’s decision to step down was because he wasn’t fully committed to the team. He would often travel away from the team, which limited his time in the front office. Johnson also didn’t do much scouting either, knowing the Lakers will have a lottery pick to work with this summer.
Magic Johnson Was The Wrong Man For The Job
Let’s call it like it is, Johnson was simply the wrong man for the job. He didn’t have any experience in a front office role of any kind, meaning failure was looming. He pretty much thought his charisma and reputation were going to put the Lakers over the top.
But that never materialized. In doing so, Johnson pretty much followed a similar blueprint Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak followed. They elected to save cap space and sign players to one-year deals, which doesn’t create any cohesion within the team. Yeah, Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka helped get the deals of Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov off the books. But it didn’t lead to the contender the Lakers hoped to assemble.
Some are saying Johnson helped land LeBron James last summer, but most knew he was going to be in Los Angeles. Before joining the Lakers, James bought two homes in the Los Angeles area, which he pretty much told everyone what he was going to do. So with or without Johnson in the front office, James was coming regardless.
What also hurt Johnson was not having a backup plan after failing to land a free agent meeting with Paul George. He put all of his eggs in one basket, hoping to net James and George last summer. But it backfired when George elected to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Looking Back At The Moves Magic Johnson Made During His Tenure
In the process of clearing cap space, Johnson let go of some key young guys. Julius Randle, who was a restricted free agent last summer, was let go. Johnson elected to renounce Randle’s rights, which made him an unrestricted free agent. He would sign with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Another young talent that Johnson gave up on way too soon was D’Angelo Russell. No doubt, Russell showed some immaturity, but the Lakers organization gave him the quick hook. Johnson said he was looking for better leadership at the point guard position. In doing so, he elected to send Russell, along with Mozgov, to the Brooklyn Nets which was basically a “salary dump”move. The Lakers would go on to select Kyle Kuzma with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
In that same draft, Johnson also decided to select Lonzo Ball with the 2nd overall pick. Everyone in the Lakers organization raved about Ball’s leadership and poise. However, the experiment hasn’t worked out yet. In two NBA seasons, Ball has played in 99 games, but he has missed 65 games due to injury. So, basically Johnson swapped Russell for Ball and the Nets are winning that battle.
Also, the trade Johnson made sending Ivica Zubac to the rival Los Angeles Clippers, was also a questionable move. Zubac is scheduled to be restricted free agent this summer. They essentially gave him away for Mike Muscala, who has been a disaster.
Like Magic Johnson, Jeanie Buss Deserves Blame As Well
Lakers owner/governor Jeanie Buss also deserves blame for the failed Johnson experiment. Buss knowingly hired him and Pelinka, a former NBA agent, to front office roles. She essentially hired Johnson to be the face of a Lakers brand that’s taken blows over the past six seasons.
As we all know, Buss is great when it comes to the business side of things. As for the basketball side of things, that isn’t her strong suit. With that being a weakness, Buss didn’t bring in brilliant basketball and front office minds who are qualified for the job. So the Lakers franchise is paying the price dearly for that now.
Buss, along with Johnson, and company, tried to take a shortcut to make the Lakers a contender again. In doing so, they’ve made things an absolute mess. Their goal this summer is to land another marquee free agent, but the uncertainty surrounding the Lakers, could have players thinking twice.
What’s Next For The Lakers?
Obviously, the next move for the Lakers is to find a new President of Basketball Operations. They have to bring in someone who will be committed to the job. It can’t be another big name who they think will land talent based off of how good their reputation was a player. Head coach Luke Walton and the coaching staff are also expected to be fired after the season finale at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers will have their work cut out for them when it comes to fixing their reputation. It’s a bad look for the franchise having Johnson reportedly scared to tell Buss face-to-face about stepping down. They’ll have a new canvas so to speak to work with. Obviously, most knew this upcoming off-season was going to be the most important one in Lakers franchise history. After Tuesday’s bombshell Johnson dropped on the NBA world, this summer for the Lakers will be just that and then some.
