Lakers Rumors: Ben Simmons wants to sit down, learn from Magic Johnson
Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors will raise some eyebrows, as Ben Simmons is hoping to meet with Magic Johnson this offseason.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors have dominated headlines for the past two weeks. Their pursuit of Anthony Davis led to a lot of rumors, but with the trade deadline now past us, those Lakers rumors will quiet down until the summer. However, Lakers rumors as a whole will never stop.
Recent Lakers rumors will raise some eyebrows. The people who sounded the tampering alarm when it came to Anthony Davis could be doing it again.
Ben Simmons, a Klutch Sports client just like Davis, is one of the up-and-coming stars in the league. He is a rare talent, standing 6-foot-10 inches tall with the skill set of a guard. It gives the Philadelphia 76ers flexibility not many other teams in the NBA currently, or in the history of the league, have had.
One player who fits that mold is Lakers‘ president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson. Johnson, who was listed at 6-feet-9 inches tall, was one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.
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Like Simmons, his size gave him a unique advantage over his opponents. The two have similar playing styles as well.
Simmons is a quintessential point guard, as he likes to get his teammates involved. Similarly to Johnson, Simmons can dominate the game without much of a threat to score from outside the paint.
Magic is a much better shooter than Simmons, as Johnson knocked down 84.8 percent from the foul line and 30.3 percent from the 3-point line, knocking down at least 31.4 percent of his 3-point attempts in his final four seasons playing in the NBA.
Simmons, on the other hand, has made only making 57.5 percent of his free throw attempts and has yet to make a 3-pointer in his career, attempting only 13 3-pointers.
So, who would be a better person for Simmons to learn from than Johnson? Probably no one, and Simmons is hoping that can happen.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Johnson revealed that Simmons reached out to him in hopes of getting together this summer. Simmons is hoping that the two can trade ‘big guard’ secrets if the 76ers, Lakers and NBA will sign off on it.
Speaking pre-game in Philly, Magic Johnson reveals that Ben Simmons wants to sit down with him this summer to trade some "big guard" secrets if the Sixers, Lakers and the league office all sign off
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 10, 2019
The caveat of all three parties okaying this endeavor is important. The Lakers have drawn the ire of the league in recent years for tampering issues. They were fined for their talk about Paul George in 2017 and again when Johnson mentioned Milwaukee Bucks All-Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
New Orleans also wanted the league to investigate potential tampering between the Lakers and Anthony Davis this year. The Lakers weren’t fined, but Davis was fined $50,000 for his agent, Rich Paul, making a public trade demand.
Clearing things up between everyone is a smart move if this is, in fact, something that Johnson would be interested in doing.