LeBron James’ stint with the Los Angeles Lakers has been quite interesting. From missing the playoffs to becoming the best team in the world to missing the playoffs again, LBJ’s time with the Lakers is the definition of a mixed bag of time.
Not only have the Lakers seen a very drastic set of results, but they have also had some massive changes in their roster as well as their management. While it was Magic Johnson who brought LeBron to the Lakers in the first place, he would abruptly resign as the president of basketball operations, which left many fans puzzled. Not only that, the team has had three coaches in the LeBron era already.
Magic Johnson Reveals He Regrets Not Informing LeBron James Before Resigning From The Lakers
Magic Johnson has had some history with the Lakers. Probably one of the most decorated players in the Purple and Gold Magic securing a position in the Lakers’ management wasn’t a massive surprise. Although he did a couple of questionable moves, he was perhaps one of the biggest reasons to convince LeBron James to join the Purple and Gold in the 2018 free agency.
But after a torrid first year with LeBron, Magic shockingly resigned from his post as the president of basketball operations. In a recent appearance at the Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, the Hall of Famer revealed that he regretted not informing LeBron of his intentions.
Magic regrets not calling LeBron before stepping down as the Lakers president of basketball operations pic.twitter.com/t6QoSVhn0g
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) October 25, 2022
“I regret not calling LeBron and telling him that I was stepping down. I owed him that.”
Magic even revealed why he left the organization in the first place.
“I wanted to fire Luke Walton… I said, ‘Hey, we gotta let him go. He is not the right guy.’… and they wanted to keep him and I said okay. I didn’t want to fracture the great relationship I had with Jeanie Buss… So instead of me just sitting there, I said let me just exit, it’s gonna be best for everybody and I felt some dude wanted to be in the seat that I had.”
After Magic’s departure from the team, the Lakers brought in Rob Pelinka, who immediately made some massive moves on the team, bringing in players like Anthony Davis.
While Pelinka’s proactive approach seemed like the right step for the Lakers at the time, the roster has changed significantly over the years, and given the results they have had, Pelinka seems to be a massive reason for the same. If he wants to keep his position with the team, this roster needs to come back and show the management that they can win games.
If not, we might be seeing multiple trades including Pelinka being shifted out, which might open the door to welcoming back a familiar face like Magic as the Lakers’ President of basketball operations.
