Los Angeles Lakers: The post-Magic Johnson era begins

With Magic Johnson stepping down from his position as president of basketball operations, the post-Magic era is set to begin for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nobody saw this recent Los Angeles Lakers news coming, at least not now. But Magic Johnson has indeed left the building, resigning his position as president of basketball operations at a nationally televised press conference.

Magic offered many reasons for his decision. He felt constrained and uncomfortable, unable to do what he likes best. Essentially, he just wasn’t happy in his role.

Many will try to dig more deeply behind the scenes. Even though he denied it, they might suspect some rift existed between Johnson and owner Jeanie Buss, for whom he expressed brotherly love. But most importantly to fans, what will his departure mean for the team going forward?

The most obvious beneficiary, at least short-term, is Luke Walton. Mere hours before Magic was going to relieve him of his coaching duties, Luke instead seemingly earned a reprieve when Johnson quit.

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Although it’s conceivable that general manager Rob Pelinka could follow through on the plan to ax Walton, that’s extremely unlikely given that Buss is fiercely loyal to Luke. In fact, Magic mentioned that he didn’t want to hurt Jeanie by going forward with a coaching change.

Beyond that, the focus is squarely on Buss to hire a replacement. She would be wise to choose someone with experience. Undoubtedly, LeBron James will influence her decision.

Laker fans pine for the return of Jerry West, but at this point in his life, it’s doubtful the Logo would be willing to take on that much responsibility. Early speculation also names both David Griffin, the former general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Sam Hinkie, who held the same position for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Griffin helped build the Cavaliers into a contender and 2016 league champion, developing a relationship there with James. Hinkie was the architect behind the 76ers resurgence. But, there will be no shortage of interest in the position from many other qualified individuals.

Whoever Magic’s successor is will have a multitude of decisions to make. First and foremost, will he keep Pelinka as GM? Much will depend on the relationship the two had while Pelinka was a player agent. It’s also possible that Buss will insist that Pelinka is retained, but it seems more likely she’ll leave that decision up to her new hire.

Then, of course, the new man will have to deal with all the other situations that Magic was going to face, including:

1. Who will the Lakers select in the June 20th draft?

As of this writing, it appears the team will pick 10th or 11th, which should provide an opportunity to draft an impactful player.

2. What free agents should be targeted?

Do the Lakers have a reasonable chance at signing any of the prospective big five (Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler)? What about the next level of free agents, which could include DeMarcus Cousins, Kemba Walker, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton, among others?

3. Which, if any, of the Lakers’ own free agents, should be re-signed?

That list includes Reggie Bullock, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, Mike Muscala, Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson.

What was already going to be perhaps the most critical offseason in Lakers history just became even more so. Now, Jeanie Buss is going to have to move quickly and decisively to find the right person to lead the Lakers back to the top of the standings.

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It’s a time for Lakers fans to be both excited and anxious about the team’s future.

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