The Los Angeles Lakers are in a critical summer. Owner Jeanie Buss wants to make the playoffs next season, and Los Angeles has enough cap space to sign two max free agents this summer. Simple enough, right? Maybe not.
Magic Johnson doesn’t feel pressure this summer because ‘I’m Magic Johnson’
The Lakers could load up in free agency this summer, but if they strike out, Magic isn’t worried. They can do it over next summer, too.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Lakers president Magic Johnson held a press conference on Tuesday, and the greatest point guard in franchise history seemed a bit lukewarm about the idea of going all-in in free agency this offseason. Instead, he deflected the notion that there was any pressure on his shoulders to deliver star players this summer.
His reasoning? “I’m Magic Johnson. There’s no pressure on me.”
“No pressure on me. I’m gonna do my job. I’ve always done that,” Johnson said. “Look I’ve been playing in... You know how many Finals I’ve been in? So you think I’m worried about this? I’ve played against Larry Bird in the Finals. C’mon man. I’ve been in nine Finals. I’ve been in college, NCAA Championships.”
Johnson was then interrupted when reporter Bill Plaschke said, “Yeah, but this is a different job.”
His response was, “I’m Magic Johnson. I’m still the same dude. I’m not gonna change. There’s no pressure on me. I’m gonna do my job. I’m excited. It’s fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
Johnson also said he would step down if he couldn’t land top free agents over the next two summers, which is almost the exact same thing former Lakers president Jim Buss said in a famous 2014 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Buss, if you’ll recall, vowed to step down if the team was not contending for the Finals in the next three-to-four years. He was eventually dismissed in Feb. of 2017.
In a sense, Johnson’s right. Trying to convince a star free agent to play for your team is a whole lot easier than competing against some of the best players in NBA history. Magic is one of the fiercest competitors pro sports has ever seen. That fire translates over to any field.
But this is a pretty interesting summer for Los Angeles
At first, it seemed like the Lakers were a lock to land two, maybe even three of the best players available in the league. All signs seemed to indicate LeBron James and Paul George were headed to Los Angeles, which could have been subsequently followed or preceded by a trade for Kawhi Leonard, who reportedly is unhappy in San Antonio and prefers to play for the Lakers.
But no one knows what LeBron’s free agency preference is, and George is considering re-signing with Oklahoma City. If the Spurs do trade Leonard, they’ve reportedly expressed a preference to send him to the Eastern Conference. So much for L.A.’s max free agents, right?
That’s why what Johnson said about being disciplined in this year’s free agency is important. If the Spurs trade Leonard elsewhere, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next summer. James and George also have options to delay their unrestricted free agency until 2019. Klay Thompson and DeAndre Jordan also hit the open market next summer.
So the Lakers have options. Then again, this is Magic Johnson. There is no pressure.
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