Magic Johnson is undoubtedly one of the greatest Los Angeles Lakers legends of all-time. He won five championships with the franchise and is beloved by everyone who has supported the purple and gold at one time or another. Unfortunately, Johnson's legacy is somewhat tainted because of what he did as the president of basketball operations. Simply put, Johnson was not a very effective president and was unable to make the moves necessary to make the team successful.
During his most recent appearance on FS1's Undisputed, Magic opened up about the issues he had with the Lakers, including his inability to make the Anthony Davis trade. As Johnson explains, had he gotten that deal done, things would have been a lot different.
“I'd still be there of course,” Magic said. “And I could have the coaches I wanted. Everything would've fallen into place. We would've had an even better shot at Kawhi [Leonard].”
Following Magic's departure, it seemed as though the entire Lakers organization was in disarray, with general manager Rob Pelinka taking much of the blame. Even owner Jeanie Buss has received some public scrutiny lately, which just goes to show how much dysfunction was happening at the time. Now, the Lakers have Davis on the squad but only time will tell whether or not he was the answer they needed.