Magic Johnson 'Was Hoping All Day' Kawhi Leonard Would Sign Lakers Contract
Magic Johnson is no longer employed by the Los Angeles Lakers, but the former team president was rooting for the squad to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency.
"I’m a Laker, man. I was hoping all day," Johnson said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Leonard ended up signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, which will expand an already exciting rivalry at the Staples Center.
"But for the league, it turned out great," Johnson added. "And for this town, it’s the king of basketball. You got LeBron and AD with the Lakers and Paul George and Kawhi with the Clippers."
Johnson resigned from his front-office role with the Lakers at the end of last season, but he still had a hands-on role in recruiting the free agent over the past few weeks.
Per Turner, the Hall of Famer spoke to both Leonard and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, at the player's request.
He also had regular communication with the Lakers about helping out informally since he wasn't allowed to be in free-agent pitch meetings, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
While he wasn't able to help the team sign Leonard, Johnson still sees the upside for the team going into 2018-19 after signing free agents like Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, Jared Dudley and others.
"For the Lakers, there’s disappointment but joy too, because we pivoted and got some great players in free agency and we still have LeBron and AD," he added. "In a perfect world, you’d love to have Kawhi. But, hey, the Lakers ain’t going anywhere."
