Magic Johnson left the Los Angeles Lakers under inauspicious terms. Turn the last game of the season, the Lakers great announced that he would be resigning his position effective immediately. In an extended hallway interview, Johnson said that he hadn’t even informed close friend and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.
Now Magic is back to his old tricks, flashing his pearly white smile on television and tweeting banal observations about the NBA.
Johnson was supposed to be part of the team that got New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis to Staples Center. He couldn’t get the deal done, and things reportedly got testy between the two organizations during the regular season.
The Lakers were able to finally trade for Davis in an agreed-upon deal on Saturday. The trade reportedly won’t be completed until July 6th, but all indications are that Davis will be a Laker.
To that end, Johnson is apparently quite happy. He took to social media to congratulate Buss and the organization on Saturday. Eventually — surprisingly — he even gave props to Rob Pelinka.
Via Twitter:
Great job by Owner Jeanie Buss bringing Anthony Davis to the Lakers! Laker Nation, the Lakers are back in a championship hunt! Congratulations to the entire organization. I know LeBron James has a big smile on his face. I’m loving this!!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 15, 2019
Laker Nation, you wanted the great Jeanie Buss to step up and bring a championship team back to LA and she’s doing just that!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 15, 2019
Great trade Rob Pelinka! Job well done.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 15, 2019
The Pelicans got a great haul for Davis, and the Lakers got what they wanted in another star to pair with LeBron James.
It’s unclear if Los Angeles will be able to build a roster around their two stars enough to contend deep into the Western Conference playoffs. That’s still up for debate, and health will be a serious question as they try to rely on an aging James and a shaky Davis.
Still, the Lakers are headed in the direction they would like and with the West now more in question than ever. We don’t know what’s happening with the Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets could be in full teardown mode as they look to ditch Chris Paul.
We’re headed into the summer and there’s a bit of daylight for fans in L.A.