As virtually every NBA fan knows by now, the Lakers ousted Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak and appointed Magic Johnson as the president of basketball operations. What will that mean for the Lakers going forward?
In the worlds of sports and business, when a new boss is appointed, he usually makes quick and obvious personnel changes to show exactly why he was hired and to prove his worth.
So what did Magic do in his first few days on the job? To begin with, his presumptive new General Manager is Rob Pelinka, a successful player agent with no front office experience who is known as a shrewd talent evaluator. Only time will tell if he as successful as another former agent, Bob Myers, who has flourished as the Warriors GM.
Magic pointedly did NOT make a coaching change. Buss-Kupchak were widely criticized for most of their coaching hires, but they appeared to get it right last year when they hired Luke Walton, who has been universally praised. Johnson stated publicly that he thinks Walton is the right man for the job. He also made no other front office changes, most importantly retaining rising stars Ryan West (Jerry West’s son) and Jesse Buss.
Shortly after taking control, Magic traded Lou Williams, the Lakers leading scorer, to Houston for Corey Brewer, who will likely have limited impact on the team, and the Rockets first round selection in this year’s draft. Based on current standings, that pick would be 27th.
Perhaps West and Jesse Buss will find a winner to select much as they did with Jordan Clarkson in 2014, Larry Nance Jr in 2015, and hopefully Ivica Zubac last year. It’s doubtful that player will be as good as Williams, but he could contribute for a longer time, or perhaps be included as part of a future trade package.
Another impact of the trade is that the Lakers will presumably lose an extra game or two without Williams, which in turn will increase the odds that the team will finish in the top 3 in the May lottery and keep its own 2017 draft pick.
Magic also traded seldom-used Marcelo Huertas for a younger, unproven guard, Tyler Ennis, who seemingly will be given an opportunity to show if he can be an NBA rotation player.
Significantly, Johnson chose NOT to trade any of the six ‘baby Lakers’, Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Clarkson, Nance and Zubac. Instead, he publicly endorsed the youngsters and indicated that the rebuilding process should take about another three years.
So the bottom line is that Jim Buss and Kupchak are out, Magic and Pelinka are in, the rest of the front office and coaching staff remains intact, a couple of fairly modest trades were made, and the team at least for now will stake its future on youngsters they’ve recently drafted and perhaps the ones in this year’s draft. Does this mean that it’s “meet the new boss, same as the old boss”, or will there be other significant differences?
Certainly, there will be in terms of a face of the franchise. Kupchak was widely respected throughout the league as the consummate professional, but speaks in a rambling, uninspiring monotone and has little personal charisma. Jim Buss was shy by nature and rarely spoke directly to the media. Contrast that with Magic Johnson, whose smile has lit up LA for the last 38 years.
In addition, Buss-Kupchak were lambasted for their failure to sign significant free agents. But the NBA landscape has changed considerably since Jerry West signed Shaquille O’Neal. Part of the allure then was that the Lakers offered him more money than any other team. Under current rules, the Lakers can only offer the same deal as any other team with salary cap room, and perhaps less than the player’s current team. As a result, elite free agents like Lebron James and Kevin Durant typically only sign with a franchise that can immediately compete for a title. That alone precluded the Lakers from serious consideration.
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But in reality, what other recent free agent beyond those two could have catapulted the Lakers into contention? LaMarcus Aldridge? Carmelo Anthony? No, once the Lakers tumbled, they had to embark on a total team rebuild. And doing so through the draft is the best way to get it started, as demonstrated by the teams with the top two records, the Warriors and the Spurs.
Still, it is easy to picture that Magic will be a better salesman with future free agents than Buss-Kupchak could ever be. And if at least one or two young Lakers develop into stars, he will have a better roster with which to attract a missing piece or two.
In time, Johnson and Pelinka will be held accountable for the trades they make, the players they draft and the free agents they sign. But for now, a new feel-good era has surfaced in Lakerland.
Beyond coaching hires and free agent signings, perhaps the biggest failure of Buss-Kupchak was their inability to articulate a vision to Lakers fans and to stir hope that they could get the job done.
Perhaps Magic Johnson’s finest contribution at the onset of this new Lakers era is not the changes that he does or doesn’t make, but rather the passion and enthusiasm he expresses. When fans listen to him they know that he bleeds Lakers purple and gold, they feel how important it is to him to build a winner, and they are inspired to believe in him.
Next: The Baby Lakers are growing up
Time will tell how long the good feelings last. But at least for now Magic gives fans reason to hope that under his leadership, the Lakers will once again become champions.