Video: Magic Johnson Says Anthony Davis Trade Would Have Kept Him with Lakers

Former Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson said Friday that things would be much different had he managed to execute a trade for Anthony Davis prior to last season's trade deadline.

During an appearance on FS1's Undisputed, Johnson said he would still be in power with the Lakers had the trade happened and also suggested the Lakers would have had a better chance to sign Kawhi Leonard in free agency:

Instead, Johnson resigned prior to the end of the 2018-19 season, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka pulled off the Davis trade during the offseason, while Leonard opted to sign with the rival Los Angeles Clippers.

Johnson also noted that he could have handpicked the coach had he stayed in L.A. after revealing that he wanted to fire Luke Walton last season, but he was prevented from doing so. Walton and the Lakers eventually parted ways regardless, and the Lakers hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach.

In order to land Davis, Pelinka sent Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and multiple draft picks to New Orleans. The Lakers attempted to sign Leonard in order to form a Big Three with Davis and LeBron James as well, but when Kawhi chose the Clippers, the Lakers spread their cap space out across multiple signings, such as Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Quinn Cook and Avery Bradley.

Even without Leonard, the Davis trade helped establish the Lakers as true championship contenders despite the fact that they haven't reached the playoffs since the 2012-13 season.

Last season was supposed to mark the end of the drought with LeBron in the fold, but injuries limited him to just 55 games, and other key players such as Ingram, Ball and Kyle Kuzma missed significant time as well.

That spelled a disappointing end to Magic's front-office tenure with the Lakers, although his ability to sign James did potentially set the stage for the franchise's return to prominence.

After dropping the season opener 112-102 to the Clippers, it is clear that the Lakers still have a long way to go before contending for a championship, but some key pieces are in place, and Johnson is at least partially responsible for that.