When Magic Johnson took over as president of the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago, he had one mission. Besides the obvious one of winning championships (typically apart of the president's job performance), his one goal was to sign the greatest basketball player of this generation, maybe even league history, LeBron James. After accomplishing his goal this past offseason by signing James to a four-year deal, Johnson, unfortunately, struck out multiple times with other free agents and trade negotiations to surround their new superstar, leading to his departure as team president today.
This does not bode well for the Lakers. They had a very disappointing season, even with James on the team, missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. The team was also in the media a lot near the trade deadline, as they pursued superstar center, Anthony Davis. Many of the trade offers became public knowledge as Pelicans owner Dell Demps was "trolling" Johnson and the Lakers, saying later that he was never going to deal away Davis. This made the Lakers look weak and desperate to sign another superstar and to make things worse, the players involved with the trade talks grew upset when they weren't traded and had to remain on a team that was about to move on from them.
Johnson also struggled to get along with head coach Luke Walton. Multiple reports mention that Johnson was not on speaking terms with Walton for most of the end of the season, specifically when the Lakers began to slide down the standings in February. Not to say that Walton has any power over Johnson, ruling out the possibility that Walton forced Johnson to step down, but when you don't get along with the coach as a president, it can lead to disastrous things.
With all this being said, it sounds like Johnson moving on from team president may be a good thing for the franchise, but it's more complicated than that. Johnson stepping down as the team president has an immediate impact on this offseason free agency, which is going to be one of the biggest in recent history, featuring several all-star caliber players the Lakers could sign. HIs recruiting worked in attracting the best player in the world to join his team with no guarantee of signing another superstar, so Johnson has some pull with some of the NBA's best players. Without Johnson in the front office, they lose a big part of their recruiting team and could miss out on yet another chance to sign a second superstar.
James is in the twilight of his illustrious career, meaning he cannot carry a team to the FInals like he had done in the past with the Cavaliers, especially in the tough Western Conference. If the Lakers are to win a title before LeBron decides to leave or retire, they must sign another superstar to their roster. They have the cap to sign one more max contract, and there are some big names in this free agency class like Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and James' former teammate Kyrie Irving. But again, without the recruiting "Magic" that secured LeBron this past offseason, the Lakers will struggle to attract another superstar to the roster, especially with the way this season ended.
Many will understand why Johnson decided to step down as Lakers president. He even said almost a year ago that he would step down if he couldn't get a second superstar on the roster, so it wasn't totally unexpected. The surprising part of all this is the timing. Why would you step down from the president position when you have the chance to sign some of the best players in the NBA and help the team win their 17th title? Many expected Johnson to be a part of this free agent carousel this year before calling it quits. However, the deed is done and now the Lakers are about to enter one of the most crucial free agencies in team history without their leader that signed LeBron against all odds. Yikes. Best of luck to Mr. Magic in his future endeavors and luck is something the Lakers desperately need now.
