Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson blames Dell Demps for trade leaks

One of the bad moments for the Los Angeles Lakers this season was the trade rumors surrounding Anthony Davis. Magic Johnson recently blamed Dell Demps for the leaks.

It was not the season that the Los Angeles Lakers would have liked to have had this year.

After signing LeBron James over the summer, the Lakers looked like they were going to have a big season. Five straight seasons of missing the playoffs looked like it would be coming to an end, as James had made the NBA Finals for eight straight seasons.

However, things did not go according to plan for the Lakers and they once again missed the playoffs. While the main reason for that was because of injuries, the Lakers also had a lot of drama surrounding them this season.

One of the big things that caused some drama in Los Angeles was the trade rumors surrounding Anthony Davis. These trade talks became very public and really blew up in the Lakers’ face. While no trade was completed, Magic Johnson didn’t regret pursuing Davis. However, he said that it was Demps who leaked the offers.

Here’s what Johnson had to say on ESPN’s First Take with text via SilverScreenAndRoll.com.

"“I’m not a regretful guy… You’re right, I offered a lot of guys, but you have to do that for an Anthony Davis. He’s a special player, and the guys that we were going to trade to the Pelicans are special as well.“I told Dell Demps, let’s just do it in private. What we offer, let’s just keep it between us. But Dell didn’t do that. So that’s how it got out… (Trajan) Langdon and (David) Griffin are a great two hires.”"

Considering that the offers were leaked during the season, it was pretty likely at the time it was the Pelicans who leaked it. When Davis made it clear that he wasn’t going to be signing with the Pelicans and the Lakers were a preferred destination, Demps might have resented the two and wanted to try to embarrass Los Angeles.

The leaking of the trade talks certainly did damage to the young Lakers, who were rattled a bit by the rumors. With a new front office, we will have to see whether or not the Lakers do decide to re-engage the Pelicans in trade talks for Davis. The Lakers certainly have a strong young core to offer, and getting the 4th overall pick in the NBA does help their chances.

Hopefully, the Lakers are able to put all of this drama behind them and have a strong 2019-20 season.