Lakers Trade Rumors: Magic Johnson Has Got “The Moves”

This isn’t the showtime era of the Los Angeles Lakers anymore, but Magic Johnson sure is making moves.

Immediately after being named the president of basketball operations by Jeanie Buss, Magic made changes to the Lakers’ front office by firing general manager Mitch Kupchak and stripping Jim Buss of his title. He then named Rob Pelinka, agent to the stars, the new GM for the team and didn’t stop there.

Prior to Johnson’s new role, many were unsure if L.A. would make any trades before the Feb 23. Deadline. However, Magic went to work quick and already traded away veteran guard Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick.

Plus, it is rumored that Magic is shopping around Nick Young, as reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein, as well as Jose Calderon as reported by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. It seems likely that the Lakers will unload both veterans but as of now for who and or what is still unclear.

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Big names like Paul George and Jahlil Okafor are being thrown out as potential matches for the purple and gold but time will tell, just hours time if the Lakers have enough to offer the Indiana Pacers or the Philadelphia 76ers for their respective players. A deal for either player may be hard to come by if the L.A. wants to keep their young core intact.

Whatever final moves materialize, one thing is for sure; Magic means business. Just days on the job and he has made moves that completely change the landscape of the organization. The only question is were they the right moves. For instance, why trade away Williams, the Lakers best player?

Here’s why: one, letting go of Williams forces the ‘untouchable’ young core to find ways to win without being bailed out by a high-scoring savvy veteran. Meaning they will get even more experience as the season winds down because Luke Walton will have to play them more.  Two, by eliminating so much offense it will be even harder for L.A. to win games giving them higher chances of retaining their top-three protected pick. Finally, the real prize of the trade, a first-round pick giving the Lakers a safety net if they fall out of the top three in the draft.

Lakers Trade Rumors: Magic, Lakers Look To Trade Nick Young

Magic’s moves make sense so far including the hiring of Pelinka as GM who has gotten high praise from players he represented that believe he will excel in his new role.

So what’s Magic’s next move? We’ll have to wait and see during the NBA draft, but he has certainly made his presence known, after all, he is the one on the phone with other GMs. Magic is already putting his stamp back on the Laker franchise and hopefully they move into competitiveness soon.