He might be out of the building, but Magic Johnson still has clout. He reportedly threw his weight around by pressing the Lakers' front office to complete the trade with Anthony Davis.
Although Magic praised owner Jeanie Buss for making the deal, the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner claims it was Johnson that "implored" executives to pull the trigger.
"Johnson said he texted Buss, Pelinka and Kurt Rambis, the Lakers’ special advisor, last week and implored them to get the Davis deal done," Turner wrote.
"I’m still going to be right there and I’m still going to be calling and giving them notes," Johnson said. "I told them that this trade could be great for the next 10 years for the Lakers. That’s what I sent in the note.'" Johnson went on to ease the minds of fans worried about the team's top-heavy roster.
"You got three starters for sure with [Kyle] Kuzma, LeBron, and Anthony Davis. Now you can fill it out. I think when free agents saw this trade, they are going to want to come to Los Angeles now," Magic explained. "I think this is exciting for all of us Laker fans, and it’s just the start of what could be a big, big summer, maybe the biggest summer in Laker history."
Magic urging the front office to trade for AD marks a full-circle moment for the NBA icon. One of Johnson's failed moments as Lakers president was not being able to convince Jeanie Buss and New Orleans to deal for Anthony Davis. This became a defining factor that led to his impromptu resignation. The more overt reason he left was his beef with current general manager Rob Pelinka. Yet Johnson claims this is water under the bridge, as they both want to see the organization succeed.
"Our leaders stepped up for the L.A. fan base and for LeBron," Johnson said. "And despite what Rob and I have gone through, I want to congratulate him. He pulled off a major trade for the Lakers, and just congratulations to him. We’re back, we’re back, we’re back where we should be and in the championship hunt."
"Listen, all that stuff is past us. I have prayed on that and moved past being mad or upset. I want us to win, so that’s why I was sending notes," Johnson continued. "I wanted us to make this trade because I knew this was a great trade for both teams."
