Issues That Magic Johnson Must Address as LA Lakers' New Leader
With the playoffs nowhere in sight, Los Angeles Lakers fans knew the clock was running out on Jim Buss' tenure as the team's executive vice president of basketball operations. But it was still a shocker when the Lakers moved Earvin "Magic" Johnson into that role coming out of the All-Star break.
L.A. has lost eight of its last 10 games and all five since the front office purge. Clearly, a reset alone won’t solve everything for a team that has fallen so far off the map in recent years.
But the story is about what lies ahead, not the water under the bridge. It’s time for Magic to roll up his sleeves and get busy.
This is a leader with some major issues on his plate.
Patience
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The Lakers have already clinched their fourth straight losing season, a feat which hadn't happened in the past 50 years. Tolerance had clearly run out when Jeanie Buss pulled the plug on her brother. Does the clock start fresh with Johnson, or will there now be an accelerated timeline?
As Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding noted, patience will still be a necessity despite the swift changes. Johnson seems to realize this, as well as the need to work with those around him.
"I'm just going to move this thing forward and do the best job I can, but also I'm going to include these people," Johnson said after taking over, per Ding. "I have to work with some good people and talented people. But I will say this: It will take some time. I'm up for the challenge, and I'm looking forward to it."
Those who will be working with Johnson represent an interesting combination of youth and inside experience.
Rob Pelinka, who is reportedly poised to take over as the team's new general manager, was Kobe Bryant's longtime agent. Front office holdovers include director of player personnel Ryan West, Jerry West's son, and Jesse and Joey Buss, who have both grown up working with the Lakers.
Patience also has to be extended to a first-year head coach in Luke Walton and a roster primarily comprised of young players. Magic was a superstar, and the Lakers surrounded him with Showtime teammates who knew how to win.
Magic may be inclined to get overly involved with the guys on the floor, which leads us to the next issue.
Finding the Balance
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Johnson looms large with young Lakers players, not only as the new head of basketball operations but as an all-time Laker great as well. This will pose some challenges—for Magic himself, for the coaches and for the roster.
It will all be about finding a sense of balance.
As Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported, Johnson has been a fixture at practices and has also offered coaching advice to individual players, including rookie Brandon Ingram. This type of involvement is a far cry from the reclusive Jim Buss. But Johnson seems mindful of not stepping on Walton's toes.
"I'm not the coach. He is the coach," Johnson said as he pointed to Walton, per Medina. "I sit back and I just watch games, I watch practice. His job is to coach. I may come to him and say, 'So and so needs to work on this.' I've done that a couple of times. But that's up to him."
But that could be a fine line to navigate, especially for a basketball legend with a larger-than-life personality who seems to be embracing all aspects of the job at once.
Johnson has also expressed a desire for Kobe Bryant to return to the organization in some type of player relations role, according USA Today's Sam Amick. Again, Johnson may need to temper his instincts, as this team needs room to breathe after Bryant's overpowering 20-year reign.
The Draft
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The 2017 NBA draft is starting to loom large once again for the Lakers. The team has the league's second-worst record at 19-44, which would give them better than a 50-50 chance to keep their top-three-protected pick that would otherwise go to the Philadelphia 76ers.
In addition, one of Johnson's first acts of business was trading Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick. Barring a complete collapse from Houston, that pick will likely land in the mid- to late 20s.
This will be the first time that Johnson and Pelinka have run a draft-day war room, although Pelinka has had ample experience from the representation side. Some choice talent awaits at the top of the order if L.A. can continue losing and also survive the lottery drawing.
If Washington guard Markelle Fultz and UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball are off the board, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman favors the Lakers taking freshman small forward Josh Jackson from Kansas, citing his playmaking ability as well as consistent scoring. Ball, whose father has been especially vocal about preferring L.A. as his son's destination, would be a logical target if he's available when the Lakers are on the clock.
"I'm not trying to say he won't play for a different team," the elder Ball told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman. But I'd like him to play for the Lakers because it's home and I'd love him to learn from Magic [Johnson]. He's the best guard ever to me, and nobody better for Lonzo to learn from than Magic Johnson."
Meanwhile, candidates for L.A.'s late-first-round pick include stretch forward T.J. Leaf from UCLA, high-motor power forward Jordan Bell from Oregon and sharpshooting sophomore guard Luke Kennard from Duke.
Magic will have his hands full during the draft, from potentially picking a prospect who could be the Lakers' next big thing to parents who are ready to guarantee it.
Free Agency
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The Lakers have mostly botched their handling of free agency in recent years. Take last summer, for example.
L.A. signed Timofey Mozgov to a four-year, $64 million contract and inked Luol Deng to a four-year, $72 million deal. Not even one full season into those four-year pacts, both players have been moved out of the Lakers' starting lineup.
But a new free-agent market awaits, with a bumper crop of stars including unrestricted free agents Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday and Serge Ibaka, and those holding player options such as Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
The hope is that Magic's outgoing nature and Pelinka's relationships with star players will help turn the franchise back into a top destination. Additionally, the timing of the February front office purge allows L.A.'s new executives to get acclimated well before the summer market opens for business.
There are multiple factors in play here—availability of funds, availability of players, the Lakers' nosedive in the annual standings and the increasingly complex rules that govern transactions.
"It was easier then," Johnson said in February when addressing free agency, per Ding. "Free-agent movement or even making trades was easier back then. Now it is more difficult with the new CBA [collective bargaining agreement]. With the new CBA, everybody is trying to keep their young talent. So player movement is not going to be as easy as it used to be."
Fortunately, Pelinka has a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of the CBA. And as Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus recently noted, the new GM "has years of experience sitting on the opposite side of the negotiating table, both battling and collaborating with NBA executives on behalf of his clients."
Still, landing a major star will take more than negotiating skills and charm. Johnson will have to make a compelling case that the Lakers are truly on the rise again in the West.
Timeline for Success
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Establishing timelines can be tricky and treacherous. Just ask Jim Buss, who famously sealed his own fate by promising to step down if the Lakers weren't back in contention within three years.
The path forward for Johnson could be further complicated by the same family rivalry that brought him here. According to Nathan Fenno and Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, brothers Jim and Johnny Buss have waged a battle to retake control of the organization. Jeanie Buss has, at least for now, blocked that attempt in court.
Against a backdrop of palace intrigue, Johnson must somehow chart a course back to success. It won't be easy.
"I wouldn't be sitting here if it was a good situation," Johnson said after taking over, per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes. "I understand what I'm up against, but I'm here, and I'm here for the long haul, and eventually we will turn it around."
It would be unreasonable to assume the Lakers can immediately march back into contention with their young core. But the expectations won't disappear. In fact, Magic's return ups the ante—his jersey hangs from the rafters at Staples Center and his statue stands out front.
At some point, the years of diminishing returns will become unsustainable. For now, Johnson may enjoy good will and best wishes from fans and the basketball community at large. But the drumbeats of discontent will swell again quickly if next season is as disappointing as the four that preceded it.
