Lakers: Could Magic Johnson be next Jerry West?

The Los Angeles Lakers shook up their front office Tuesday with the firing of longtime General Manager Mitch Kupchak, and named former Lakers great Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations. The move came as a shock to most around the league, but did the Lakers make the right move?

The hiring of Magic Johnson as the new president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers cold go down as a classic where-were-you-when-this-happened event in Lakers fandom.

A small recap: Magic, in, Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss, out. Los Angeles will hire a new general manager “in short order,” Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement.

The move happened less than days before the trade deadline, which makes for very odd timing considering the Lakers wanted to be aggressive and make a move. Now, without a GM to make trade calls, that will prove difficult.

But maybe that doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s not about this year’s trade deadline. Maybe the Lakers want to find in Magic what they had all those years ago in another former Lakers great: Jerry West.

In the early 1980s, the Lakers were winning and winning big. West — who started as general manager in the 1982-83 season after three years as a scout — was at the forefront of all that success. The team won five titles in that decade.

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West famously made the draft-day deal that landed Kobe Bryant, traded for Shaquille O’Neal and brought Phil Jackson to coach the team. The Lakers had a three-peat title run soon after those moves.

West moved on some years ago to other roles, including as an advisor to the Golden State Warriors. It’s been widely reported that he was a key factor in Kevin Durant’s decision to sign with Golden State.

West brought a certain gravitas to his job, and for some reason, players believed in him and wanted to play for teams with which he associated. The Lakers could have the same thing now with his move to make Magic the head of basketball operations.

Magic didn’t do so well when he became coach of the Lakers all those years ago, but it’s no secret that he’s revered around the league. While his comments about the Lakers front office decisions — namely those of Jim Buss — were often critical and polarizing, he’s always had the team’s best interests in mind, and never failed to show his support for Jeanie Buss in doing so. And when Magic tweets, the whole basketball world pays attention.

So when the Lakers hired him as an advisor two weeks ago, it’s no surprise that he wanted to run things in the front office. He even came out and said so in interviews. And this decision coming so soon could point to how the Lakers brass feels about Magic’s potential in his new role.

While Kupchak has been responsible for high-profile moves in years past — Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol — he’s struggled to get meetings with or convincing free agents to sign with LA. Maybe his 17 years as GM was too long, and maybe his name doesn’t come with the same flare for former players as Magic’s does.

Next: Magic Johnson named President of Basketball Operations

It’s still too early to say anything definitively, but the Lakers needed a change. Despite Magic not having any previous front office experience, this move could be the first step in getting the Lakers to feel magical again.

It’s showtime.